Jar Of Hearts
by tmntyyh
Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Warnings inside.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

Side Note: This is just a teaser. Standard chapters will be around two-thousand words (double the size of this chapter). This is what won on my poll.

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><p>"Aww," Cid grinned as he wrapped his arm around Vincent's waist before taking a gulp of the golden liquid in his glass. "C'mon, Val! Ain't like I'm askin' fer ya to pull of yer pants an' give the whole damn bar a show! Jus' wanna know what the fuck ya meant when ya told the brat that ya got somethin' in yer pants that ain't fer her!" Shifting closer in the dingy bar, the blonde pressed his heated body against the gunner's leather-clad form.<p>

"...Curiosity killed the cat," Vincent muttered before curling his long, gloved fingers against the glass bottle of his beer and lifting it to his lips. Taking a drink, the brunette tried to focus on anything but the warm body that pressed against his side. Acrid smoke filled the bar and the surrounding air around them, casting the dim setting into thin veil of smoke and making it all the more difficult to smell the sweet scent of the pilot's shampoo.

Snorting, the blonde reached over and picked up his lit cigarette from the ashtray before tapping away the gray ash and taking a long drag. "Ya know she's practically in love with ya, right?"

"I know," the brunette replied as a deep laughter resounded in his mind. Reaching over, the gunner plucked the cigarette from between Cid's lips, taking a drag from it before placing it. The sound of the pilot's following chuckles sent a shiver up his spine and made the hair on the nape of his neck stand on end.

"Ya can always bum a fag, Val," the blonde said before taking another drag of the cigarette and another gulp of his whiskey. "Ain't gonna smack yer hand fer tryin' to take one."

"...I know," Vincent replied again as he leaned back farther into the leather cushioning of the booth. He was always far more relaxed sitting in some seedy bar with the Captain than being in the Seventh Heaven with the rest of Avalanche there. Maybe it was because the blonde was much easier to talk to when separated from the group. Maybe it was because if he so much as said a word in front of the rest of the group they acted like they had never heard him speak before and a simple question from his lips could tell them the secrets to life. ...Maybe it was because Yuffie clung to him at every given chance...

"So?" the blonde grinned at him, the filter of the cigarette clamped firmly between his teeth.

"...So?" the brunette countered as though he had no idea what the blonde was alluding too.

"Ya going to ask fer a fag or not?" Cid asked before fishing out his crumpled and torn package of cigarettes. Vincent had always wondered how the precious bounty that he kept hidden underneath the flimsy box managed to survive the daily beating that the carton often took.

"...I am quite fine, thank you."

Cid laughed before punching Vincent in the arm and tucking the carton of cigarettes back into his pocket. "So, Val, ya heard 'bout what's been goin' on 'round here lately? Some poor fuckers got snuffed all 'round this bar late at night. One person each night fer the last couple of weeks. People are freaked; screamin' that there's some serial murderer runnin' 'round Rocket Town. Fuckin' idiots. Had to set up a goddamn curfew today to calm 'em down."

"...Is that why we are drinking at four in the afternoon?"

"Heh, well it ain't like yer complainin', Val!" Cid grinned before taking another drag and blowing the smoke straight up. "Shit, another one buys it today an' that'll make thirteen. Fuckin' local mortician told me if one more shows up, he's shippin' the body to Midgar to see if they can figure out the cause of death...well, 'sides the gapin' hole in their chest. Ya mind runnin' patrol with me tonight, Val? Swear to fuck if Shera keeps tryin' to go with me I'm going to lose my fuckin' mind and I'll be the one locked up fer murder!"

"...I'm busy..."

"Yeah, try that again with a little more conviction an' I might believe ya. Fuck that, I won't. The fuck are ya so "busy" with? There a vampire stakin' ya got to go to?" the pilot asked with a grin. "Are ya going to be the vampire that gets staked?"

"...No."

"C'mon, Val! Ain't like I'm askin' to suck yer dick or pull yer teeth out! Just need someone I can trust to watch my back while we go walkin' through the dark of Rocket Town hopin' to stumble cross a wing nut that likes to kill drunk people." Vincent was not sure which part should make him feel flattered: that Cid's first verbal option was to service him orally or that he trusted him enough to ask him to watch out for him while searching for a serial killer.

"...You're drunk, Chief."

"I'm fuckin' fine an' ya know it!" the blonde snapped before grinning and finishing off his drink before climbing over Vincent's lap and out of the booth, standing beside the gunner. Stumbling before standing upright, the pilot grinned victoriously at the brunette man dressed in red fabric and black leather. "A little tipsy, but fuckin' fine!"

A sudden scream came from outside, gathering every one of the patrons' attention and causing the blonde to spin around and get a glass of red wine poured onto the front of his shirt. "Shit!" he cursed to himself before grabbing his lance and running outside towards the sound of the scream. Vincent quickly followed the Cid out of the smoky bar and into the chill air that descended upon the rural town in late fall.

As he followed the blonde, he noticed that the darkening sky held a glimpse of red from the almost set sun, leaving them a bit of daylight to witness a hysterically sobbing woman trembled as she clung to the man next to her.

"...Fuckin' thirteen," Cid hissed as he eyed the splattered blood that lined the alleys walls and dirt floor; a male figure lied slumped against the dumpster and splattered with his own blood with a softball-sized hole in his chest. The edges of gaping space was torn and shredded, leaving little flesh or cloth to obstruct the view of the bloody mess that was left behind. "...Ya sure ya don't want to stay, Val?"

"...I have a date," the gunner muttered before looking away from the blonde. "...With Yuffie."

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	2. Chapter 2

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

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><p>Why did he say that? That was the last thing he should have said! Vincent thought as he watched the pilot smirk at him. Hell, even "I have diarrhea" would have been a better excuse to give the pilot in order to get out of spending a long period of time with said pilot. It was not that he hated spending time with the other man, quite the contrary.<p>

He could not spend as much time as he wanted to with the snarky and warm-hearted man was he wanted to, though. Chaos had not left to return to the planet as he had originally thought and he was becoming harder and harder to control. Especially after visiting the blonde in Rocket Town.

There was something about Cid that did not sit well with the demon; he was always vying for control whenever he tried to leave Rocket Town or the blonde that dwelled within the rural town. Yet, whenever prodded as to his need for control, the demon went silent and refused to give any reason why he wanted to break free. Left with little to do, Vincent had decided to cut all ties with the pilot for a few months. But, ever persistent with his phone calls, the blonde wanted to spend time with him and find out as to what he had been up to.

Avoiding his phone calls had been easy. Accidentally picking up the cell phone proved to be his downfall as he found that he could not refuse the blonde's request for help in an urgent matter and he really needed to see him. True to his word, the pilot picked him up from his small apartment and led him to Rocket Town for drinks before springing the serial murderer on him.

"Yer fuckin' shittin' me," Cid chuckled before walking closer to the dead body, boots sinking into the blood splattered ground as he crouched beside the figure and narrowed his eyes. "Damn, it's fuckin' Jimmy. Little shit was a pain in the ass but good friends with Sher'." Standing back up, the blonde turned to look over at Vincent before raising an eyebrow. "So ya an' the brat are datin' now? When did that start? Could have sworn ya considered her to be worse than gettin' gum in yer hair!"

Shrugging, Vincent looked down at the sprawled out body while Cid was telling the traumatized couple to go home. He glowered at the gaping hole in the cadaver's chest. He knew what it felt like to have something vital removed unwilling from one's chest; Rosso the Crimson had forced her crimson, sharpened nails through the thick leather that he wore and powerfully tore the protomateria out of his chest. No living mortal could survive such a blow, as was being proven in Rocket Town. Such a shame, too. It was such a quite little town, now rocked by thirteen murders.

"Captain, Captain!" a panicky voice called out, getting the gunner's attention. He remembered that woman; Shera. Cid's wife. ...Supposed wife. Probable wife. "Captain, h-house, f-fire!" she squeaked, sounding out of breath. She had probably run the whole way here. That was out of the usual for such a calm woman who could face the Chief's worst tempers without batting an eye. ...Well, it would be hard to bat an eye when she was actually crumpling underneath his rage like a marionette that had its strings cut.

"Son of a bitch!" the blonde snapped before taking off running. Vincent nodded to the panting and flushed woman who dropped to her knees before giving the blonde pilot chase. Flames flickered and lapped at the darkening sky as smoke rose from the burning building. Even from a distance, the brunette could make out a large group of people trying to put out the flames as the building creaked ominously. As they made their way through the empty streets, Vincent paused when he saw Cid skid to a halt directly in front of his house.

Shattered glass lined the ground directly below the windows as smoke plumed out of the building. The light from the flames flickered across the expanse of his house, illuminating odd symbols that were scrawled in a dark red over his door. "Sacraments..." Vincent murmured softly as he looked at the scrawled letters underneath the symbols. Looking over at Cid gave Vincent the chance to see the blonde snarl before dashing towards the flaming house. Red eyes widened as he followed the blonde, tackling him to the ground before he could grab the metal knob of the door that was, without a doubt in the ex-Turk's head, hot enough to severely burn the skin on the blonde's hand. "Have you lost your mind?" the gunner hissed as he struggled to pin down the squirming pilot.

"My fuckin' schematics are in there!" Cid snapped, grunting when Vincent managed to pin him face-down on the dirt; his arms were held over his head while the demonic man sat firmly on his lower back, the large gun that was strapped to the brunette was pressing firmly against his back when the ex-Turk leaned down to growl darkly in his ear.

"Listen to me, Chief; walking through that door would be a very stupid thing to do right now." The gunner nodded slightly at the growl Cid emitted before nodding in agreement. "...You can always create your schematics again. They will forever be in your mind whether they are on paper or not."

"'Less I get hit with Alzheimer's," the blonde snorted. "Ya mind lettin' me no? Won't go runnin' into my house. Fuckin' promise."

Nodding, the gunner moved back, not missing the shudder that ran along the blonde's spine when he pulled back, long hair running delicately along the pilot's ear. Paying the reaction no mind, Vincent rose to his feet before wiping the dirt off of his knees and helping the grumbling blonde up. Not thinking about the way that his next action would look to the men that were trying to put out the large fire, he reached over and began to wipe the dirt off of the blonde's shirt and pants. "You are covered in dirt," the brunette muttered in response to Cid's amused and confused expression.

"Yeah...'cause ya fuckin' tackled me to the damn ground," Cid replied with a chuckle. "Yer such a goddamn weirdo, Val." Shrugging slightly, the gunner turned to face the blazing structure, wincing when the roof suddenly collapsed from the burning supports and instability that it caused.

"...What are the sacraments?" Vincent asked as he attempted to commit the symbols to memory before they vanished beneath the inferno.

"Eh? Usually have to do with signs of glace or some shit like that. Why?" the blonde asked before groaning. "My fuckin' spear is in there!"

"...So are your clothes," Vincent commented. "...I can buy you a new spear."

"Eh? Don't take this the wrong way, Val... Ain't that a bit gay fer a man to do? Offerin' to buy another guy some shit?"

"...You would do the same for me, would you not?"

"Got a point there," the blonde replied with a shrug before looking over at the collapsing wreckage of his home. "Fuck...I need a goddamn drink right 'bout now."

"...If I leave to get you some whiskey, can I expect to find you still standing here when I return?"

"Where the fuck am I going to go, Val? Ain't got a home!" the blonde snorted, watching as the brunette walked away.

Vincent smiled slightly as he walked. Even faced with the travesty of losing one's worldly possessions did nothing to falter the pilot's attitude in the slightest bit. Entering the nearest bar, the gunner walked over to the counter and looked at the frightened clerk. "...A bottle of your finest whiskey, please," he muttered, raising an eyebrow when the young adult girl nodded before searching for the bottle frantically and handing it over with a shaky grasp. "...Thank you." He reached into his pocket before pulling out his wallet and handing her enough gil to cover the bottle and leave her with a tip before pocketing the black leather and walking out of the bar. Strolling back to the remnants of Cid's house, he stood by the fence that the blonde was sitting by.

"Almost wish I fuckin' had some goddamn marshmallows," the blonde said before looking over at the bottle of liquor that the gunner was holding out to him. "Heh, yer a fuckin' angel, Val." Opening it up quickly, Cid took a large gulp of the liquid before handing the bottle back to the brunette who had taken a seat beside him. "Ain't this a fuckin' beautiful day? Got a mortician that's 'bout to quit, thirteen bodies all with missin' hearts, an' a lifetime of work all destroyed. ...I get why ya stayed in a coffin fer so long."

"...Because the door was locked?" Vincent quipped before taking a sip from the bottle of alcohol.

"Nah," Cid said as he grinned. "Life fuckin' blows. An' not in the fun way! One second everythin's fine an' yer lovin' it, the next? Yer fuckin' homeless with a fuckin' serial killer prowlin' the goddamn streets. Lucky I didn't keep liquor inside the fridge or we'd all be gonner. Well, no ya, Val. ...Ain't ya got a date to be gettin' to?"

"...I'll cancel," Vincent said as he looked at the burning wood a matter of yards away from them.

What would have happened if he did not answer the phone when Cid called him earlier in the day? Would the pilot have gone out drinking by himself or would he have stayed inside and continued to attempt to reach him? Would he have made it out in time when the house caught fire? Would Shera have saved his life once more or would she have perished with her beloved Captain?

He could feel Chaos stirring as he tried to take control at the thought. Now it seemed like his thought about Cid's untimely death was calling the demon's attention. Did he want the blonde to die? Did he want to kill him or was he merely trying to be protective of the blonde? No, Vincent mused, the demons would all know that the pilot was safe the second that he thought about it. Chaos wanted to kill him. Why else would he try to take control every time that he tried to leave the blonde's presence? He wanted to make sure that the human was deceased before leaving him alone.

A high pitched scream pierced the air in the distance before Cid groaned. "Looks like Shera found Jimmy. ...Fuckin' wonderful day," he muttered before taking the bottle and beginning the chug the dark liquid. "Got to tell ya, Val, this is shapin' up to be a great fuckin' day. Yer gonna want to hurry so ya don't miss yer date. I don't need a whiny ninja brat callin' me to complain that ya stood her up."

"...She won't..."

"Liar!" Cid accused as he grinned. "Would ya kindly move yer ass? She's probably waiting."

"...I lied..."

"Eh?"

"...There is no date."

"...Yer twistin' my balls, ain't ya? The fuck would ya lie 'bout datin' the brat for?"

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**Dreadful Virtue**: Aww, your review makes me happy, too. (Happy authors post fast, I find. Unhappy ones disappear for a few years.)

**talinsquall**: Aww, sorry!There will be gratuitous smut (with demon lovin' thrown in), promise! Just not right now. Heh, that sounds a lot like Kinks (no plot, just smut). You're welcome and thanks for reviewing.

**Inuobsessed004**: Heh, thanks!

**ABNORMAL2110**: Indeed! Heh, sorry?

**TerrorThatLurksInYerBathtub X3**: Aww, thanks! Wait no more! ...And then a little more... Sorry.

**CaseyAnn'sPrecious**: Aww, thanks!

**mizperceived**: Heh, thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

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><p>"...I assure you that I am not," the gunner replied as he continued to share the bottle of liquor with the distraught blonde as they watched his house burn to the ground despite the efforts of the pilot's neighbors and friends. The fire illuminated the dying lawn that they were sitting in as he ignored the shorter man's stare. "It was an excuse," he muttered softly before taking another swig of the alcohol. Surely he could not explain to the pilot that his reason for not wanting to be around him, his reason for choosing to pretend to date Yuffie Kisaragi over spending time with one of his closest friends in Avalanche, was because of the demons inside of him were stirring every time he attempted to leave the pilot's company. No, that would be something that he would rather take to the grave than inform the pilot of, lest he take it as a personal attack on his hospitality.<p>

"Fer what?" Cid asked before taking the bottle that the gunner held out and taking another large gulp. The whiskey burned his throat as he swallowed it down, senses not as clear as they usually were but he saw this occasion as a good reason to get completely plastered before staggering to the only inn in town and taking a room for the night. "Ain't like I can drop ya off now; hanger's burnin' down, too an' damn if that ain't gonna be a pretty burn when all of the fuel catches an' all of my goddamn work goes up in a ball of fire an' smoke..."

Raising an eyebrow, the pilot looked over to the hanger as he took the bottle of alcohol from Cid, taking a large gulp as he watched the large building beside the house quickly become engulfed in flames. Raising his gauntleted hand, the gunner waved over one of Cid's neighbors and informed him of the impending explosion, watching as they scurried to a safe distance before he rose to his feet and held out his right hand, nodding when Cid gripped his hand, before pulling him to his feet. "Come on," he said gently as he wrapped his left arm around the pilot's waist before leading his out of the yard and around the fence. Keeping his grip around the pilot, and the alcohol, the brunette walked over to the inn before opening the door and ushering the tipsy-going-on-drunk man into the building. Closing the door after him, the brunette walked over to the front desk and purchased a room.

Once the key was looped around one of his mechanical fingers, Vincent turned around and chuckled at the sight of Cid; he was squinting as he peered out the window if the inn, watching as his house burned in the distance as his hands and goggles were pressed to the glass. Walking over, the brunette wrapped his arm around the blonde once more before assisting him up the stairs and to their room. Unlocking the door, he helped the blonde inside before taking another gulp of the whiskey. Closing the door with a swift kick of his foot, the door clicked as the lock snapped into place. Ever so carefully, he sat the pilot down on the bed, staring down into the blue eyes that looked up at him as he felt the demons stirring inside of him, Chaos pushing closer to the surface as he leaned closer.

"Thanks, Val," Cid said before taking the bottle of whiskey and downing another mouthful, "yer a big help, yanno. Could really use ya when it comes to helpin' nab this som'bitch. Ain't like Reeve, though; I'll fuckin' pay ya with more than a "thanks" an' some hugs." Nodding, the gunner leaned even closer, crimson eyes swirling with gold as he swooped down and claimed the pilot's lips. Blue eyes widened as completely golden orbs stared back at him, the brunette's features began to shift; skin and leather tore away as large wings spread from his back, pale skin lightening to a sickly gray as his body and clothes shifted.

Pulling back just enough so his lips were only grazing the wide-eyed pilot's, the demon smirked darkly. "Hello, Chief," he growled, sneering when he was suddenly punched in the jaw before lunging. Wrestling with the human, Chaos chuckled darkly when he had pinned the human face-first on the mattress. Leaning down, he tightened his grip around the blonde's wrists and pulled them higher above his head, ignoring the thrashing and kicking that came from the pilot as he moved to nuzzle the man's neck. The human froze as he felt the hot breath of the demon washing over his throat.

"Gerrof me, ya som'bitch!" Cid snarled, words slurred in his drunken haze.

"No," Chaos retorted as he moved to lie down on top of the pilot. "The host and I have a certain agreement, so to speak; he brings us what we need to survive and we leave him alone. Recently, he has yet to do such a thing in his haste to avoid being around you..." Smirking, the winged demon ran his tongue along the pilot's throat before flicking it across his ear. "You see, he broke the agreement, Chief. We plan to take what we want now and we want energy to stay alive. The host barely gives us what we need to survive," he murmured sweetly as clawed fingertips sliced through the pilot's shirt before he roughly tore the blue fabric off of the toned body of the blonde. He smirked appreciatively as he looked the pilot up and down, licking his lips at the sight, he growled softly while pulling off one of his belts. Releasing Cid's hands momentarily, the demon moved out of the way of the elbow that was thrown in his direction before grabbing both of the human's wrists and fastening the belt around the brown leather that clad his wrists. The leather from his belt creaked against the leather from the human's gloves once it was on far too tight for the pilot's liking. Looping the other end of the black material through the beams of the headboard, the demon smirked down at the human that tugged futilely at his restraints.

Blue eyes glared up at the demon that was straddling his waist as he twisted and bucked his hips, trying to knock the winged beast off of his body. Snarling, the human bucked his hips up before kneeing the demon in the back, taking amusement in the surprised look that covered the demon's face before his knees were grabbed and his body was pinned down. "That was not kind of you, Chief," Chaos mocked as he sneered at the human before moving to sit idly on the blonde's thighs, making it so the pilot could not manage to kick or knee him again. He watched the blonde snarl and writhe underneath his body in amusement. "I think you need to be punished..."

"Fuck ya!" the blonde spat as he pulled on the belt that kept his arms held firmly above his head. His fingers were tingling as they began to go numb from the constricted blood flow, only managing to fuel his drunken anger a bit more. Yellow eyes glowed jarringly in the dimming light as they focused on the blonde man fastened to the bed. "It ain't need no punishment from a fuckin' overgrown, egotistical bat!"

"Oh, I think you do," the demon said as he smirked dangerously, fangs glinting in the dim light from the saliva that coated them.

"Ya fucker! Have ya been the one fuckin' killin' people 'round here? I could fuckin' skin ya fer that shit!" the pilot snapped as he squirmed even more.

"That I can take no credit for," Chaos said as he chuckled and leaned down, blue eyes following him and jerking when his goggles were pulled off of his head. "I have not killed a single person in Rocket Town," he smirked deviously as the words left his lips, eyes raking over the taut muscled that lined the pilot's sculpted body before clawed fingers, both mechanical and demonic, curved around his shoulder before pulling down and leaving slightly raised, pink lines in their wake. Reaching the trail of golden curls that trailed from the human's navel down to the belted denim that circled around his waist, the demon chuckled. "You did not ask what our agreement with the host pertained to, Chief."

"Don't fuckin' give a damn!" the blonde hissed, jerking when his soft cock was cupped roughly by the demon's right hand. "Leggo of that, ya perverted motherfucker!" the pilot snapped, words slurred as he squirmed even more. "Ya got one of those; play with yer own!"

Smirking at the human's choice of words, Chaos leaned down and quickly captured the blonde's lips in a searing kiss, sharp fangs biting down on the pilot's lips and hot tongue swirling over the damaged fleshed before his pulled back, fingers working on removing the blonde's belt and pants as he smirked. "Are you sure you do not want to know, mortal?" he growled while tossing the strip of leather behind him and quickly fishing the blonde's cock out of his pants, stroking him slowly in his heated hand before he looked down and licked his lips. "Hm, while I do have one of my own," he mocked with a lecherous smirk, "as you shall soon see for yourself, I plan on playing with both mine and yours... Especially yours."

Cid moaned thickly at the feeling of the demon's hot, long fingers pulling and stroking his cock slowly, working the flesh to hardness before he gripped the thick denim and moved off of the blonde's thighs, pulling the material down to the human's knees before rolling the blonde onto his stomach. Chuckling deeply, Chaos ran his fingers down the blonde's back before slapping his tanned ass sharply. "Ow! Quit it, ya pasty fucker!" the drunk human slurred as his cock throbbed against the bedding.

"No," the demon said with a smirk as he slapped the pilot's ass again, yellow eyes delighted at the soft pink color that his flesh turned before he pulled his own hard cock out of his pants. Sharp claws tapped against the muscled backend of the pilot before he gently pushed the round cheeks apart to get a good view of the puckered entrance he planned to thoroughly violate. "This is the only time I am going to ask this question, Chief," he growled before letting go of his backend and slapping the squirming man's ass once more. "Have you ever been fucked before tonight?"

Cid hissed at the slaps that his ass was receiving, trying to will and wish his erection away even as the damned thing throbbed and leaked against the white, fluffy fabric of the comforter. "Knock it off, ya idjit! Does it look like givin' me a damned spankin' like some goddamn kid is going to get ya any fuckin' answers? It ain't any of yer goddamn business!" He yelped at another slap to his tendering ass, this one harder than previously. "Fuckin' bastard! I said ta knock it off!"

"No..." the demon snarled darkly before moving to lie down on top of the human, cock nestled firmly between the blonde's thighs and pressing against his crack. "No, I will not knock it off. Believe it or not, Chief, but the host is very fond of you."

"Yeah, an' that thin' between yer legs is tellin' me that he ain't the only one, ya fag," the blonde snapped in return, hissing when his hip was slapped.

"So, tell me whether or not I need to be gentle or if I can just fuck your pretty little brains out until the only curses that are spilling from your alcoholic lips are swear-laden begs for more," Chaos said with a smirk as his fingers threaded through the blonde's hair gently. "...So, have you been taken before or will I be the first?"

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**talinsquall**: A bit; just for you. Ha! The really funny part is that it's completely true!

**Sir Shirkin**: Wait no more! ...And then a little more.

**Inuobsessed004**: Heh, probably!

**ABNORMAL2110**: Heh, again, you don't have to review. Oh, heh, that's actually a mistake...kind of. As a general rule, everything I write is OOC unless specifically stated (I forgot to put that in Dreary Decisions).

**mizperceived**: Naturally he would come to Cid's rescue...kind of. Heh, like I told **ABNORMAL2110** (in some reply to a review for something or other), you don't have to review everything you see. It's okay.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

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><p>Opening his mouth to snap at the winged demon, all words stopped at gentle knocking at the door. "C-Captain?" a sniffling, female voice asked from the other side, making the demon snarl. "Are you in there? Can you let me in?"<p>

"...I truly hate that woman," Chaos snarled as he rose to his feet, listening as the doorknob rattled when she tried to turn the handle.

"Ya leave her the fuck alone!" he snarled softly at the demon as he pulled on the belt that was wrapped tightly around his wrists, leather creaking against leather.

"C-Captain? It was Jimmy," Shera sniffled as he leaned the side of her face against the door.

"I know, sweetheart," he said gently to her, glaring at the demon that rolled his eyes. "Ya got a place to stay fer the night? Did ya see if Bill will take ya in?"

"N-no," she sniffled. "I got a spare key from Janine for your room. Is it okay if I come in?"

"Sure thin'," he said before cursing himself, forgetting about the situation he was in momentarily.

"Thanks, Captain," Shera replied before slipping her key into the lock and twisting the doorknob. Hearing the door unlock, Chaos snarled darkly before diving through the window, shattering the glass before he spread his wings and flew off, leaving Cid tied to the bed.

"Son of a bitch!" the blonde exclaimed just as Shera walked through the door, blushing darkly before covering her eyes.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "I-I thought that you were alone!"

"Eh, don't apologize, Sher'. Ya mind helping me out of this?"

Nodding the woman kept her eyes closed as she removed her hands, slowly walking towards the bed and bumping into it. Toppling over, the woman landed onto the blonde's body, one of her hands cupping his ass before she jerked up, face an even darker shade of red. "I'm so sorry, Chief!" Making sure to keep her hands on the mattress, she slowly worked her way up to his hands, carefully and slowly undoing the belt before taking a step back. "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks," Cid muttered as he rubbed his tender wrists before moving to pull up his jeans and boxers, fastening them before moving to sit up. Peeling off his gloves, the pilot rolled his eyes. "I'm decent, Sher'."

Nodding, the woman uncovered her eyes before moving to sit next to him, still blushing darkly before looking at his wrists and wincing. "Are you all right?" she asked before gently taking his hands in her own, fixing her glasses before peering at the bruises that were beginning to form around his wrists.

"Yeah, jus' a little tingly," he replied with a shrug before looking over at the woman. "Ya feelin' okay?" As if his words had opened the floodgates of Hell, Shera surged forward before wrapping his arms around the blonde and sobbing hysterically into his chest. Blinking, the blonde wrapped an arm around her before rubbing her back and trying to calm her. He sat with her for a good twenty minutes as she cried herself to sleep before he lied her down and covered her with the blanket that was on the bed. "Get some sleep," he muttered softly before turning off the light and heading out of the room, locking the door after him as he strolled out of the inn shirtless. Waving at the clerk that Shera knew, the blonde continued on his way until he was stepping out into the dark, silent town. He walked over to the weapons shop and purchased himself a new spear before beginning to patrol the streets by himself, tensing at every soft rusle of material that he heard happening around him.

Gritting his teeth, the pilot walked past the bar that he was in with Vincent earlier, wincing at the sight of Jimmy's body still lying in the back. "Son of a bitch... Sorry, Jimmy, yer gonna have to sit tight for a while," he muttered to the corpse before continuing his patrol around the town, the chilly air making his nipples hard and his skin break out in goose bumps. Blue eyes searched about as he walked, feeling like there were eyes watching him everywhere he went. Ignoring the feeling, the blonde man made his way across the town before circling back, making sure to visit every alley and street he could find.

Once finished with his patrol of the empty and locked up town, the honorary mayor of the quiet town slowly made his way back to the corpse of Shera's friend, the sound of his boots against the ground being the only source of noise throughout the entire place. It was chilling when he thought about it; if life were a movie, this would be the point when something would jump out of nowhere and maul him, dragging his bleeding and screaming body into some dark alley where the rest of the townsfolk would discover the trail of blood in the morning and follow it until they stumbled across his corpse.

At that very second, a cat hissed in the distance, rattling Cid's shaken and jumpy nerves even more and making his glare at the black cat that appeared to be glaring back at him. "Fuckin' cat," he grumbled before stepping into the blood-soaked alley and crouching down beside the lifeless corpse. "So, Jimmy..." he started awkwardly as he peered into the hole in his chest. "How's it hangin'?" Grinning nervously at the lack of response, which he figured was better than if the body suddenly spoke back to him, the pilot kept his grip on his new spear while moving the bloody fabric out of the way of the gaping wound.

"Well, ain't seen anything that could make a hole like that," he muttered as he looked at the jagged edges to the fleshy wound, peering at the torn skin and muscle before holding his fist up to the wound and whistling. "Shit, that's one hell of a way to die, buddy." So, someone either had a weapon that was the size of a fist, or actually drove their hand into the poor man's chest and tore his heart out the hard way. It sounded like a bad breakup lyric in a song, actually. Snorting, the blonde moved slightly closer before peering into the gaping hole.

Perhaps there was a clue as to what was used just by the shape of the wound? Maybe he could get the mortician to fill the hole with something that would solidify and leave him with some sort of impression of the weapon. Hell, the man would freak out if he told him his theory about if being a hand.

...Did Yuffie once tell him about Vincent having something torn out of his chest by force? He could never tell with that girl if she was telling the truth or completely making up stories. Sure, Vincent was an odd man, but there was no way he managed to survive having his literal heart torn out of his chest. Metaphorical heart, sure; at least, he seemed like he was doing just fine after the Deepground incident. He never could tell when it came to that pasty fucker.

Either way, that was neither here nor there. He had to worry about calming down the citizens of his town and keeping everything in order while tracking down the bastard that struck fear into the hearts of usually happy and carefree people. Mothers were fearing for their children, husbands for their wives, children for their friends. It did not seem right for this to be happening in such a small town. In his small town, damn it. He looked out for these people, he spent his days with them! Whether or not Vincent and his group of demons were actually going to help him, whether or not his house would be burned down every day for the rest of his life; none of it mattered. He had to do right by his neighbors and friends even if it meant standing alone.

...Was that how Vincent felt when Reeve suckered him into helping him with the W.R.O.?

He would have to apologize for trying to get the brunette to agree to fighting for his own cause. He was a man and he could manage this on his own. The gunner obvious had his own issues to deal with and could not even handle those, let alone helping catch a serial murderer. He'd buy the brunette a nice gun before sending him back to his little sinkhole of an apartment; he would pay for the gunner's trip back, of course. Then he would talk to the mortician and see if they could figure out what was causing these people to die; blunt force, sharp objects, gunfire...

From there, he would have to figure out what to do. Hell, he build giant machines out of metal that could soar through the sky with ease! He could handle some guy that seemed to think his town was a good playground for his fucked-up version of playtime.

Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, the blonde rose to stand up straight before wiping his bare hands against his thighs, sighing as he looked down at down at the corpse that stared ahead blankly as if it could see the person that attacked him and knew what was going to happen to him. "Sorry this had to happen to ya, Jimmy. I knew ya were a good man who couldn't harm a fly...mainly 'cause ya were scared to death of 'em... But ya know what I mean. I'm gonna take care of ya'll. Ya'll have a nice burial an' I'll find the fucker who did this an' make him pay. Ya have my word."

"I am sure dat you should be more concerned about your own wellbeing," a thick accent came from behind him. Spinning around, the blonde managed to see a flash of red before pain filled his senses and the world faded to black.

Review for more.

Thanks for reviewing:

**Dreadful Virtue**: Heh, that it is!

**talinsquall**: Aww, did you really believe that Chaos would be his first? Heh, he's more concerned about being tied down than the demon stripping him. No problem; thanks for reviewing!

**mizperceived**: Heh, not yet! Well, it's not my fault he's so fucking adorable; this is why I do not own FFVII (and the lack of funds to purchase it...that's another reason). Aww.

**ABNORMAL2110**: From my point of view, it's not all that rare. Ha!

**Inuobsessed004**: Aww, thanks! And that he is! ...It's probably why people love him so much.

**Purple Pallbearer**: ...Looks can be deceiving?

**Sir Shirkin**: Heh, and it's going to suddenly turn again!


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

* * *

><p>Chaos grumbled to himself as he flew from rooftop to rooftop, making sure to keep an eye on the blonde idiot that strolled down the dark streets on his own. Honestly, there was a supposed serial killer on the loose and the city's most prominent figure was waltzing down the alleys like he was the one committing the crimes. The demon flexed his wings when the blonde finally came to a stop, speaking softly to the dead body before crouching down. Now, what in the hell was that foolish man up to? Moving closer, the demon narrowed his glowing eyes, focusing on the blonde man that leaned closer to the corpse<p>

"'Ee is an odd one, no?" a thick accent came from behind him, making the demon bristle before spinning around, snarling at the crimson-clad woman that gave him a saccharine smile. "A bit soft in the head," she said, ducking as the demon swung golden talons at her face. The demon growled when his claws met nothing but air, lunging forward when she jumped back. The demon barely noticed when she disappeared from sight before he felt a sharp heel digging into his back forcefully, knocking him into a nearby building and forcing the wind out of his lungs.

Yellowed eyes blinked to clear the dirt out of his eyes as he searched around the area, looking for any sign of red among the darkness. Ears pricked when he heard a grunt in the distance, one that was decidedly male. Snarling viciously, the demon rose to his feet before soaring into the air and diving towards the last place that he saw the pilot standing. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of the crimson-haired woman smirking at him, one of her heels pressed firmly into the human's bare chest. Rage filled his senses when his eyes took in the sight of dark fluids splattered across the blonde's face and chest.

That bitch!

Diving down, the demon tucked his wings closer to his body as he pulled out Cerberus and fired multiple shot at the Russian woman, baring his teeth threateningly when she dodged them before running out of sight. Hovering above the murder scene, the demon holstered the smoking gun before dropping from the air and kneeling beside the still body of the blonde. He reached out tentatively, claws outstretched over the pilot's chest before pausing, ears pricking up at a gurgled sound from the from the blonde man, chest heaving as tan fingers clawed blindly at the blood-drenched ground while his eyes stared blankly at the stars in the sky. Chaos could easily make out the dark fluid that coated his face and eyes, a darker fluid mixed in with the blood and making the demon narrow his eyes.

"...Chief?" Getting no response from the gurgling man, Chaos carefully slid his claws underneath the human's body, lifting him into his arms before hurrying to the only makeshift hospital in the rural town. His body began to meld back into Vincent's, spurring the demonic man to run faster as he hurried inside, watching as doctors took over and rushed Cid into a different room, nurses calling various people while he was instructed to sit down in a metal chair. As the hours ticked by, the brunette watched as various people came in and out of the waiting room, the majority asking what had happened to their beloved mayor and whether or not they could check in on him.

The worst part was when Shera came running into the hospital; her hair was a mess and her glasses were askew as she running up to the head nurse and clinging to her, sobbing as she was led over to the chairs and seated next to Vincent. Glancing over at the woman, the brunette blinked when she suddenly wrapped her arms around him, babbling and sobbing uncontrollably. He awkwardly reached out and pat her back, trying to get an answer from Chaos as to what had happened while trying to make out any words coming from the mousy woman that was clinging to him. Unable to get a response from either one of them, the brunette sat silently as he tried to console the distraught woman, hoping all the while that the blonde man would make it out all right and come walking into the room with a bright smile on his face.

* * *

><p>Huh, why was it so dark? Cid thought as he listened to soft sobbing, head spinning as he tried to recall the last thing that happened to him. Jimmy... He was talking to Jimmy and then... Well, fuck. Then everything fucking hurt and all he could see was red. Shit, was he dead? None, there was the pain. Cracking open one eye, the blonde could feel panic welling up in his chest at the feeling of soft pressure around his head, seeing only darkness. Reaching his hands up, the blonde fumbled as he grasped his bare fingers around him head, trying to calm his shallow breathing and rapid heat beat as his fingers brushed against the gauze that was wrapped around his head.<p>

"C-Captain?" the sniffling voice called out.

"Sher', tell me I still got my eyes," the blonde muttered, trying to keep calm even though every fiber of his being was screaming for him to break free and run. As the woman started to cry louder, Cid sat upright, flailing when he was suddenly pushed back down.

"Your eyes are still in your head, Chief," a deep voice murmured from a short distance away. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Vincent who pushed him back down on the bed. "You were found lying in a pool of blood next to the corpse-" Cid flinched as Shera sobbed louder. "-In the alleyway. The blood is being tested to make sure that is is yours and not someone else's. What do you remember about last night?"

"The fuck happened to my eyes?"

"...That is not an answer, Chief."

"Well, fuckin' neither was yers!" the blonde snapped, a heart monitor beeping loudly as he faced the direction that the gunner's voice was coming from. "What the fuck is wrong with my eyes, Val?" he snarled, fingers clutching at the soft bedding of what he assumed was a hospital bed.

"...They are trying to figure that out, Chief," the dark voice said softly, voice sounding sullen as he spoke. "There was something besides blood in your eyes. They were also not responding correctly to light so we have all agreed that it would be best to keep you hospitalized until it can be corrected."

"We?" Cid asked, frowning slightly.

"Mr. Valentine, myself, the doctors, our neighbors..." Shera chimed in before blowing her nose.

"...You are well-loved in this town, Chief," the ex-Turk murmured fondly. "Everyone from infants to the elderly were upset at the news that you were attacked while on patrol. They are now planning new patrol routes to find your attacker."

Nodding, the blonde sighed before resting his head against the pillow, trying to make himself comfortable while the paper gown crinkled with every slight movement. "Yeah, they can be touchy bastards. Say, Val, if ya head into the bar make sure ta look out for a man named Jack; usually walks around like he owns the goddamn world an' he'll hit on anythin' with a fuckin' pulse. Tell 'im ta give ya a ride back ta yer place. Yer going to want to make sure that ya tell him that I'm payin' him to drop ya off, not that yer tryin' to get laid."

"...No."

"Eh? The fuck do ya mean by tellin' me "no?" He's a skilled fuckin' pilot, ya got my word there, Val! Sure, he ain't as good as I am an' there are bound to be a few fuckin' mishaps on yer way back, but he'll get ya to yer place in one goddamn piece!"

"...That does not matter, Chief. I am not leaving."

"What? The fuck do ya mean ya ain't leavin?" Gods, not being able to see really sucked. Sure, the brunette was not a particularly expressive fucker, but he could still manage to get a few tells from the gothic bastard when he could look at the unhidden portions of the man's face. "Ya got a date to go to, don't ya? Shit to do, Reeve to harass, an' all that shit?"

"...I am not going to just leave you to lie in a hospital bed all day while your hometown is ravaged and your people are scared to walk alone at night. You need help, Chief," the brunette said before shuffling closer to the blonde, his boots clacking against the tiled floor loudly.

"I don't fuckin' need help!" the blonde snapped, batting at the soft hands that gently curled around his arm. "Dammit, I'm going to be seein' in no time, right? Right? ...Sher'?"

"They...they don't think so, Captain," Shera sobbed before wrapping her arms around his waist, sobbing freely into his chest.

"Val? What the fuck did they say 'bout my eyes? I need my goddamn eyes!"

"...The doctors have said that..." Vincent sighed softly and just from the sound Cid could guess that they were full of regret and pity. Fuck, if there was one thing in the goddamn world that he hated, it was being pitied. "...That they do not believe that you will recover quickly... And if you do, the odds are against you when it comes to seeing as well as you used to..."

"...What are my odds, Val?"

"...Chief..."

"WHAT ARE MY FUCKIN' ODDS?"

Cid's heart monitor was spiking as his heart rate sped up, blood pressure skyrocketing as the machines began to chirp loudly, causing people to run into the room and check on him even though the blonde man continued to fight them off, growling when he was held down and given a sedative, barely hearing the brunette as he muttered softly. His voice sounded far away and the blonde was not sure if he was walking out of the room or if he was sinking farther into his own mind, his own rational thoughts beginning to blur with the black shadows that fogged his mind. "Very slim...you have a thirty percent chance...of ever seeing again... A ten percent chance...of seeing normally..."

He was certain that whatever he was given was severely fucking with his mind, not sure whether or laugh at the words, cry in dismay, or beg the man to pull out Cerberus and fire three shots into his head before he would be forced to live out the remainder of his life as a shell of the man he once was.

Fuck, he might never see the sky again...

Might never have the chance to rebuild his airships...

Might never fly through the sky...

Might never see any of Avalanche again...

Might never see Vincent actually smile for once in his goddamn depressing life...

At those thoughts, the blonde gave in to the encroaching unconsciousness and relaxed, falling asleep as his world faded before his unseeing and bandaged eyes.

Review for more. I probably should not listen to "Grey's Anatomy" singing "Chasing Cars" when typing...

Thanks for reviewing:

**Dreadful Virtue**:

**Inuobsessed004**: Indeed!

**talinsquall**: Heh, worry not, the smut is coming! I firmly believe that Cid is an ass-virgin. ...And I have no idea why that brings up a mental image of Cid ass an ass-angel...

**ABNORMAL2110**: Heh, he's a fun one to write. So it would seem, no?

**Purple Pallbearer**: Ha! Indeed it was! Aww, thanks!

**Teeties**: Heh, it's very true, though! He sure isn't going to call Yuffie to shoot the breeze with.

**klausolas**: Heh, then ya would not like to read anything I write.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

* * *

><p>Vincent sighed softly as he watched the blonde pilot slowly drift asleep; it was going to be a long time to get the pilot back on his feet and even longer to get him to adjust to his blindness. He watched as the blonde breathed calmly in his forced sleep as Shera sobbed uncontrollably in the background. He slowly moved to sit beside the bed and listened to the soft breathing from the pilot as the nurses and doctors left the room. He was not sure what to do; he could not leave the blonde alone in the care of a capable, yet very distraught, woman. Yet, he could not stay forever.<p>

Chaos continued to shift in his psyche, exerting large amounts of energy as he tried to pull himself to the surface and gain control. Timing his breathing carefully to match the blonde's slow breathes, Vincent could feel the stirring stop as the winged beast gave up on his attempts for control and settled down with the other demons. Taking deep, slow breaths, the brunette watched the rise and fall of the pilot's chest before looking at the man's face. The hospital personnel had done a wonderful job of cleaning the blood off of the blonde's face, leaving him looking peaceful in his forced sleep. He spent hours just watching the pilot's face as he slept, Chaos stirring in his mind as he tried to keep his attention solely on the blonde and not the sobbing woman in the background.

He knew that he was being unfair to Shera; she just lost a friend and the man that she was rumored to be marrying, the man that she had lived with on a daily basis in a previously unburned house was lying in a hospital bed with a slim chance of ever being able to see again. Not to mention that she had lost everything when the house had burned to the ground. He knew that none of this was her fault, that horrible things had been thrust upon her with little warning and causing her entire world to crumble before her eyes. He knew the feeling, he truly did.

...But that did not mean that he was willing to listen to her grating sobbing for hours on end.

She was wearing on his last nerve and the demons inside of him were stirring, silently begging for the opportunity to tear her to shreds in an attempt to make the room go silent. The energy pull from Chaos was different, though. Unlike the irritated pulls from the other demons, the winged beast appeared not to be concerning himself with silencing the mortal woman, but sending his attention towards the unconscious pilot. A fierce protectiveness overcame Vincent as Chaos continued to aim for control. He would not allow the demon to harm the pilot; he was already lying in a hospital bed for the Promised Land's sake! Smothering the bid for control, the gunner snapped out of his thoughts when a rough grumble came from the blonde, fingers clutching at the fabric of the sheets as he shifted.

"Mmm, Sher'?" the Southerner drawled out sleepily as he tilted his head. Within that instant, all of the brunette's thoughts were shattered. The first person that he thought to call out for after waking up in a hospital was Shera. Was he wrong in assuming that the blonde would need him to stay around? Should he have taken up the blonde's offer for him to catch a flight home from a companion of the shorter man? Was he speaking out of authenticity and not just irritated panic when he said that he did not need the brunette around? "Ya start the kettle yet?" Frowning, the brunette narrowed his eyes at the blonde man in the bed. Did he just ask for tea while he was lying in the hospital?

"N-no, Captain," the meek woman sniffled as she removed her large glasses and wiped at her red eyes. "Don't you re-remember? You were attacked and are at the hospital..."

"Shit," the blonde murmured before shifting and slowly sitting up, head swerving as the blonde man attempted to look around the room through the heavy gauze that was wrapped around his head. "Val didn't leave, did he?" At the soft tone of the question, Vincent could not help but smile fondly at the wounded man lying in the bed. The worried and tired tone from the human proved that he was only speaking out of irritation earlier and did not mean to ostracize the brunette. It had to have been fear of being blind that fueled his words.

"I am still here, Chief," the gunner said gently, unable to stop from feeling amused when the blonde's head whipped towards this direction at the sound of his voice. An uneasy feeling filled his chest when the wounded blonde smiled at him.

"Ya stayin' around?" the pilot asked, his tone leading Vincent to believe that he was grateful not to have been left by his friend. A part of the gunner nagged at him for that thought. If he truly were a friend, he should have agreed to assist the pilot when he first asked for his help. Hell, Reeve did not have to do much to persuade him to assist with the defeat of Deepground. He should have agreed to help Cid from the beginning. Maybe then he would still be able to see... "Hell, I might not be able to see, Val, but I can still hear those rusty gears turnin' in yer head." ...Was he implying that the ex-Turk has not been thinking in a long time. The brunette narrowed his crimson eyes at the easily amused and grinning blonde. "The fuck are ya thinkin' 'bout so hard? Was a simple "yes or no" kind of question. Ain't need no long explanations or long discussions."

"...Yes," the brunette acquiesced, "I am staying."

The blonde pilot smiled before waving his hand. "Great! Now, ya mind helpin' me get the fuck out of this bed?"

"C-Captain," Shera spoke up softly, her reddened eyes open wide. "You can't leave! Th-the doctors-"

"Calm the fuck down, Sher'," Cid said as the gunner walked closer, boots clanking loudly against the hard floor. "Ain't goin' nowhere yet. Just got to piss is all and I sure as fuck ain't pissin' myself!" Chuckling softly, the brunette reached down before curling his gloved fingers around the blonde's wrist, clawed fingers delicately pulling the receptors and tubes away from the blonde, murmuring a soft apology with every wince that the blonde made. "Thanks, Val," the pilot said as he shakily stood on his legs, hobbling to the bathroom with the ex-Turk's help.

Once they were both inside of the bathroom, Vincent closed and locked the door before curling his long fingers around the pilot's upper arms and carefully leading him to the toilet, making sure not to make the smaller man bump into anything as they walked. Stopping in front of the porcelain bowl, the gunner paused and blinked. Just how were they supposed to do this? Looking down, the gunner's vermillion irises roamed over the flimsy paper gown that his hick companion was currently wearing, wondering whether or not he was supposed to assist the man in using the bathroom completely or if he was just going to lead the man to the toilet and back to his bed.

"I swear to fuck, Val," the pilot started as he grit his teeth slightly, "yer over thinkingin' things all over again. I ain't need ya to hold my dick or nothin' when I piss an' ya ain't got to be a nervous som'bitch. Ya have seen dick before; I'm pretty sure ya got one of yer one, after all."

"...What happens if you miss?" Vincent asked carefully, partially hoping not to offend the blonde. The rest of his mind was hoping that he did not say that out loud. When the pilot began to laugh, the ex-Turk's face reddened in slight embarrassment. He had, in fact, said that out loud.

"Miss? Val-"

"...Vincent."

"Whatever. Who do ya think yer talkin' to? I ain't missed since I was a fuckin' toddler!"

"...You are blind..."

"So? I know how to piss in the dark if I don't feel like turnin' on the lights. Ya know that; used to do it all of the fuckin' time back when we were stuck travelin' by foot an' roomin' in some of the shittiest inns on the fuckin' planet!" Vincent raised an eyebrow, momentarily forgetting that the blonde could not see it as he watched the man raise his foot until he hit the porcelain. Using his foot as a guide, the blonde pilot guessed his distance before grunting and lifting the paper gown with a grumble. "Fuckin' loudest pieces of hell I've ever been forced to wear."

Vincent hummed as he pointedly looked away, wanting to give the blonde his privacy as he used the bathroom. He had to admit that the pilot had a point; the garment was particularly noisy. Perhaps the staff made the patients wear them so they could easily tell if anyone was going to attempt to leave? His ears perked up at the sound of liquid splashing not to far away. Would you look at that? Not literally of course, Vincent thought to himself as he stared blankly at the wastebasket in the corner. It seemed that the Chief was not just blowing smoke when he said that he could relieve himself in the dark.

When the sound died off and he heard the telltale crumpling of the paper gown again, Vincent looked over to see Cid grinning. "Told ya, Val. Now, where's the sink? I ain't leavin' 'til I wash my goddamn hands." Nodding, the brunette gripped the blonde by his forearms again before leading the man to the sink, turning on the water for him and making sure that it was warmer than it was cold. "Thanks," the pilot said before beginning to whistle, blindly reaching for the soap and dispensing a liberal amount on his hands before lathering them up. The tune was a familiar one; something that the blonde had often hummed while they traveled around the planet in their search for Sephiroth. It was also something that he often whistled while working in his hangar whenever the gunner had stopped by unannounced.

"...What is it?" the brunette asked softly and suddenly, catching the blonde man by surprise.

"Eh? The fuck is what? Ya find a spider or somethin' over there?" Cid countered as he rinsed his hands clean of the lathered soap.

"That tune; you whistle it often..."

"Oh! That's an' old thin' back from my Ma's days. Used to sing it to me when I got particularly fussy as a kid. Calmed me right the fuck down in a hurry. Don't remember the name of it though."

"...It is very nice," the gunner remarked as he reached over and grabbed a few paper towels, drying off the blonde pilot's hands as the shorter man snorted.

"I ain't five, ya know. Could dry my own hands," he huffed before grinning. "Yeah, she was a sweetheart. Had bitchin' aim, too; rest her soul. Could fuckin' whip a pan at yer head one minute and hug ya ta death the next."

"...The apple does not fall far from the tree," the brunette murmured softly about the pilot's mood swings before crumpling up the damp paper towel and throwing them away. Holding the other man's arms, he led the blind man back to his bed and assisted him when it came to lying back down. "Tell me, Chief," the brunette began as he sat down in a chair beside the bed. "What have you been able to figure out about the serial killer so far?"

"No," a meek voice cut in, getting the gunner to frown and look in the mousy woman's direction.

"No?" Cid snapped as he looked in the direction of Shera's voice. "The fuck do ya mean by sayin' "no," Sher'?"

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Thanks for reviewing:

**mizperceived**: I've heard the name "Deathnote" but have no idea what it is... Indeed!

**talinsquall**: Ha! Very true! Thanks for reviewing!

**Inuobsessed004**: Sorry?

**klausolas**: Heh, he'll have to take them one at a time (pun not intended). Oh, you are far more generous than I am. That's just filler better smut. I think that plot has to actually be thought of and planned out. Barely anything I write has plot.

**ABNORMAL2110**: Err...blinded him? True! It's always a possibility.

**Purple Pallbearer**: Heh, well, you are right about the fondling; Cid is very jumpy when he can't see. It'll also make things a little harder for Chaos and Vincent. (No pun intended.)


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

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><p>"No," Shera repeated with more conviction. Vincent raised an eyebrow as he watched the meek and frail woman stand her ground. "Let it go, Captain."<p>

"Fuck that!" the blonde snapped as he sat up and pointed a finger in what he thought was his assistant's direction. "Now ya listen here, Sher'-" The gunner reached over and delicately wrapped his fingers around the pilot's wrist, moving his arm so he was actually pointing at the woman. "Thanks, Val. Now, this is my goddamn town an' I ain't leavin' it be. We got a fuckin' murderin' killer-"

"...A bit redundant," the gunner remarked.

"Ya shut yer pie hole, Val," the pilot added, making Vincent smile behind the cowl of his cloak. It looked as though the blonde was quickly returning to his normal state of mind and would not let something like being unable to see deter him. "Sher', ya know me. I ain't going to just sit on my fat ass all day. What would Jimmy say?"

"...That your ass isn't fat?" Shera replied softly, her reply making the pilot laugh.

"Other than that!"

"...To take care of the town..."

"Exactly! An' that's just what the fuck I plan on doin'!" the pilot said with a large grin that made Chaos shift under the surface of Vincent's psyche. Knocking the demon's control away, the brunette man focused on the blonde man that gestured with his hands while he spoke, creating an amusing sight for the demonically enhanced man to behold. "So Val and I are going to talk 'bout what we found 'fore he arrived ya want to wait outside, Sher'? It's graphic shit." The brunette woman nodded before leaving the room, pressing a kiss to the blonde Captain's temple before doing so. Chaos snarled darkly as Galian snapped his jaws, both of the demons trying to claw their way to the surface in their rage. Gritting his teeth, the gunner managed to keep them both at bay before slowing his breathing and turning his attention back to Cid. "She gone?"

"...Yes," the ex-Turk breathed as he moved to sit on a chair next to the bed, the loud clacking of his boots hitting the tiled floor let the pilot know where he was.

"All right; this shit started almost two fuckin' weeks ago; found some woman lyin' in the middle of the fuckin' street with a gapin' hole in her chest. Ain't no one seen what happened and it just 'bout scarred the kids that found 'er fer life. We find a new body every night, but they all seen to be dyin' the same way: a giant fuckin' hole in their chest. Mortician said all of 'em are missing their damn hearts. Makes my goddamn town look like a fuckin' freak show," Cid huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Who the fuck tears hearts out of peoples' chests? I think it's some goddamn cult that's trying to shack up in my kind-ass town! ...Only hope the poor bastards were already dead or out cold when it happened."

"...Rosso."

"Eh? The fuck did ya just call me?"

"Not you," Vincent said before sighing. "It sounds like Rosso the Crimson, from the Tsviets."

"Deepground, eh?"

"...Yes."

"Thought ya killed all of them fuckers, Val. Yer gettin' rusty," the blonde taunted as he smirked widely.

"...She jumped off of the old ShinRa building."

"Crazy bitch with red hair? Think the brat said she was wearing metal underpants..."

"...You saw her?" Vincent asked as he leaned forward slightly in the chair.

"Nah. Tried fighting off some fuckin emo princess when he gutted the Shera. "Spike fought the psycho chick off. Heh, looks like he's gettin' rusty, too. Don't feel so bad 'bout it, Val. So, think we could sneak the fuck out of here and get goin'?"

"...And just where would we go?"

"Midgar, of course!" Cid answered as though it were obvious. "Got to pay Spike a visit an' see just what the fuck he remembers 'bout the crazy bitty."

"..."Bitty?"" the gunner replied as he watched Cid climb off of the bed and rise to his feet.

"Would ya prefer I keep callin' her a bitch?" Cid countered with a grin. Humming softly instead of replying, the brunette rose from his seat and walked around the bed before moving the pilot so he was sitting back down.

"Stay here," the gunner said softly as he watched the blonde man. "I will go check with your doctor about when you are permitted to leave." The pilot snorted loudly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking like a sullen child, much to Vincent's amusement. He reached out to ruffle his gloved hand through the disheveled mess of Cid's hair, pausing before his leather-clad fingers touched the blonde strands. Pulling his hand back, the gunner turned around before heading out of the room and walking towards the front desk. "Excuse me," he muttered softly, making the elderly woman at the front desk jump before smacking him in the arm with a clipboard, the papers that were attached to it waved audibly at the movement.

"Haven't you ever been told that it's impolite to sneak up on someone?" she snapped while narrowing her eyes at the tall man standing before her.

"No. How soon may Cid Highwind be able to be discharged?"

"Little ol' Ciddy?" the woman asked before typing away at her computer. "Looks like he's scheduled for some tests tomorrow morning."

"...Tests?"

"He needs to make sure everything is all right before even thinking of discharging that troublemaker."

Nodding, Vincent turned around before heading back towards the blonde pilot's room, wincing at the sight of Shera blowing her nose in the hallway. Honestly, it never stopped with that woman. Walking into the room, the brunette man smiled softly at the way that the blonde perked up at the intrusion, looking like he was trying to imitate a young puppy or kitten whose master had finally come back into the room. "It appears as though you are going to be tested before being set free," the brunette said before walking back around the bed and sitting down on the uncomfortable chair.

A string of curses came from the pilot's lips as he flopped down on the bed, covering his bandaged eyes with his hands as he sighed. "Can't fucking sit 'round all day an' wait fer shit to happen, Val!" Cid commented.

"...A few days."

"Vampire say what?" the blonde snapped suddenly as he sat back up, his remark making the gunner snort softly.

"...The nurse says that you will be going for tests tomorrow. You will be here for a few more days at the minimum, Chief."

"Fuck that shit!" the pilot snapped as he scrambled out of the bed. Crimson eyes widened before the brunette gunner lunged forward, grapping the fleeing pilot around the waist before pulling the flailing man back onto the bed. "'Ey! Let me fuckin' go, Val! I ain't spendin' my fuckin' time in a goddamn hospital when I got some fuckin' prowler lurkin' 'round my goddamn town!" Grunting, the brunette climbed onto the bed before sitting on the thrashing blonde's thighs, his hands wrapping around the pilot's arms before pinning him to the bed.

"Relax, Chief," the ex-Turk breathed as he looked down at the heaving pilot. "You will remain in the hospital and I will patrol the streets of Rocket Town at night. Should you decide to fight me on this, I swear that I will make two phone calls that you will come to regret."

"Are ya threatenin' me, Val?" the pilot asked, sounding as though he were unsure of what to do in the situation.

"...In a sense. Then again, perhaps you would enjoy having Yuffie and Reeve watching over you at all times while I wander the alleys?"

"Yer cold, Val," the pilot snorted as his lips curled into a grin. "No need to call out the guards, I'll fuckin' behave. Promise."

A soft hum came from the gunner before he moved off of the pilot's body and sat back down in the chair. Chaos was stirring again, snarling at the mention of the brunette engineer and Wutaian ninja. The demon was becoming more and more persistent in his attempt to gain control; the longer he was around Cid, the more danger he was putting the blonde into. There was just something about the vibrant pilot that seemed to put the demon on edge and started the battle for control all over again. It was odd seeing how being around the smoking and cursing pilot did little to the other demons; they went silent and seemed to either hang off his every word or plainly ignore him.

Given his current position, Vincent was not going to ask as to which explanation was the actual reason lest he be pulled into a lengthy discussion or be met with dead silence. Quelling his curiosity clearly was not worth it.

"So, Val," the pilot said as he made himself comfortable on the bed. "Had a run-in with Batty the other night."

"...Is that so?"

"Yeah. Said that ya haven't been givin' them what they need or some shit like that. Kind of brings up the question of exactly what the fuck it is that they need. Told me that he ain't takin' credit fer killin' people in Rocket Town. So, if he ain't after hearts to eat, what the fuck is going on with all of ya?"

"...We have an "arrangement" of sorts," the brunette spoke, mentally screaming in his head. Why did the winged beast tell Cid about their current situation? It had nothing to do with the pilot! ...Oh, Gods... "Was he the one that hurt you, Chief?" A sputtering sound came from the stocky Captain before he burst out into a fit of laughter. "...Shall I assume that is a "no?""

"Shit, Val," the pilot wheezed, clapping himself on the chest before grinning widely. "Now, the big ol' bat is one crazy fucker, that's fer sure, but I don't that that it means that he was the one that wanted to fuckin' blind me. Was way more eager to get in my pants 'fore Sher' came into the room. Horny bastard jumped out the goddamn window and left me tied to the bed in the damn inn."

"...I...am so sorry, Chief," Vincent said as his face felt like it was doused in lighter fluid before being set ablaze. Did Chaos strive to make him look like an idiot at all times? That behavior was uncalled for and the demon had no need to sexually assault one of his former companions from Avalanche. ...It could have been worse, though; he could have gone after Yuffie sexually. ...Or Tifa. The gunner paused as he frowned. The winged beast never went after either of the women even though he had multiple opportunities what with Yuffie throwing herself at the ex-Turk at every given chance. Why would he forgo a sure thing only to attempt to physically and sexually impose himself onto the one person from Avalanche that the brunette actually got along with?

Oh gods...

"Ain't no problem, Val," the pilot said as he waved his hand, crimson eyes staring at the pilot as though he had just offered to perform a strip tease before his very eyes. "Just want to know what the giant Halloween decoration was talkin' 'bout when he meant that ya'll have an arrangement. Do ya feed 'em sugar cubes an' ran out or somethin'? Bathe 'em in the sink like puppies? Take 'em out for a night on the town an' let the big an' fluffy fur ball one chase cars?" the pilot teased as he grinned widely, causing the winged beast to squirm in Vincent's mind once more, reaching for control over his body. It made perfect sense; why was he unable to see it earlier?

Chaos had a crush on Captain Cid Highwind...

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**Inuobsessed004**: That they are! Heh.

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**ABNORMAL2110**: Ha! Nice one! He's having a hard enough time trying to keep his eyes to himself without a backless gown!

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**Anon**: (Chapter Three) Thanks!

**Rhelana**: No problem; I tend to end stories a lot more than I finish them. Aww, thanks! You were the fifth reviewer so I had to work on the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

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><p>"Our arrangement is a bit more complicated than that, Chief," the ex-Turk muttered as he frowned behind the cowl of his cloak. How had he missed that? The strongest and most vicious demon that was contained in his body had a crush on the one man that he was closest to in Avalanche. Surely there were signs that he had missed... "Living creatures need to specific items to survive... Demons need energy in order to fight and remain alive."<p>

"So...ya feed 'em chocolate or something?" Cid guessed as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Demons cause destruction, death... They linger in nightmares and strive to wreak havoc on the pious."

"A lot of big words that ain't tellin' me what they eat, Val," the blonde huffed.

"Pleasure."

"...Yer tellin' me that yer psychotic, little group of crazies feeds on happiness, Val? Shit, they must be starvin'!" the blonde teased with a wide grin on his face. He did have a point; Vincent was not the most cheerful of people and found little pleasure in things. Often, his thoughts made their way back to Lucrecia and the fate that befell her. He could understand exactly why the demons were getting restless and bloodthirsty; if he had a chance to change his own past and keep the travesty that altered his life and the planet, he would do so in a heartbeat. Even if it meant never meeting the quirky pilot, the gunner knew that he would not hesitate to spare Lucrecia and Sephiroth from a lifetime of pain and suffering. "How the fuck do ya manage to feed them when ya ain't cracked a smile in what; three fuckin' years?"

"...I smile," the brunette retorted as he shrugged his shoulders, momentarily forgetting that the blonde man could not see it. "You never notice because you cannot seen through my cloak. ...Perhaps if you grew a few more inches..."

"Fuck ya!" Cid laughed as he flipped off the smirking brunette. "Jus' 'cause I ain't fuckin' seven-foot, six-"

"...Six feet, even."

"Yeah, yeah; it don't mean that I'm fuckin' short!"

"...You are one inch taller than Cloud."

"Fuck ya, again!" the pilot huffed before snuggling back down on his uncomfortable bed. "Yer a fuckin' giant. What the fuck do ya know 'bout height?"

"...Sex," Vincent said randomly, raising an eyebrow in amusement when Cid seemed to choke on his own saliva.

"Wasn't an actual question, Val!" the blonde snorted. "Yer too fuckin' literal fer yer own damn good!"

"...Highwind, sex is how the demons feed."

"Woah! Back up one goddamn minute!" Cid said as he waved his arms theatrically. "Yer tellin' me that in order to keep the bats in yer bellfry happy, ya wander off to find some chick to fuck? Does the brat know 'bout this? ...Oh fuck; are ya nailin' Yuffie?" An indignant and disgusted sound came from the brunette as he glared at the oblivious blonde pilot. Did he honestly think that he would stoop down to such a low level; his demons might need to feed off of his orgasm but that did not mean that he was desperate enough to sleep with the Wutaian girl that he was certain attempted to stalk him numerous times! He would far sooner remove his sexual organ than insert it into the young woman.

"I have not had sex in over thirty-three years, Chief," the gunner said dryly, practically seeing the gears in the pilot's head whirring.

"So yer feedin' 'em with masturbation?" the blonde laughed as though it were the funniest thing that he had ever heard. It was truly not an absurd thought; Vincent refused to sleep with anyone that he did not love. He also doubted that he would ever fall in love with another woman again after his betrayal of Lucrecia and the concurrent betrayal of himself. She would always hold the part of his heart that he would give to any woman that he loved. Seeing how he could not love a woman, he could not sleep with any women. That severely limited his choices for sexual pleasure to just himself. It was not a hard conclusion to jump to; very little thought process was needed to understand exactly why he was reduced to feeding his demons with his own touch. ...Oh. Yes, the wording could be exactly why the pilot was laughing. "Fuck, Val! No wonder yer whack jobs are going stir crazy! Ya need to fuckin' get laid!"

"...I will pass," the brunette said as he watched the pilot snort.

"Bullshit. Yer fuckin' gettin' laid, Val. They ain't gettin' what they need from it an' I ain't gettin' belted to a fuckin' headboard again!" Crimson eyes narrowed at the exclamation. Why would he have been tied to a headboard with a belt? Oh, Gods... Chaos had actually tried to take the Captain against his will? Dread filled Vincent's stomach as he looked intently at the blonde pilot. It did not look as though Chaos actually succeeded in claiming the stocky man. Perhaps this was more than a simple crush? The demon could have easily picked out a random stranger if he was just looking for a way to feed. He would not have needed to try to rape the Captain.

But he did. He tried to take the blonde even though a simple phone call could have given the demon all of the pleasure that he needed to feed off of. It had nothing to do with sparing Vincent the hassle of trying to explain the situation to a complete stranger or, heavens forbid, Yuffie. He had singled out the Captain out of a whole town full of people, chosen the man that he had a crush on and wanted him to be the one that he got pleasure from. While Vincent was sure that the winged beast was not gay, he was also sure that this was not a simple experiment. The demon had known the pilot just as long as the gunner and the other demons had. He would have known that the pilot was going to fight him back as the feisty blonde did not take anything from anyone. He had to be testing how the blonde man would react to such a brazen advance.

...How did Cid react?

He was certain that the pilot would have cursed out the demon that had decided to use a belt to restrain him. If there was one thing about Cid that he had learned over the years, the human greatly despised leather. He wore cotton fabrics and the only leather that he wore were his flight gloves and the trim on his flight goggles. He claimed that the material was too heavy and hot for him to wear; the insides of his gloves were even lined with a soft fabric to keep his hands cool. It still left Vincent to ponder what the blonde did to get Chaos to let him go; the demon was not one to easily give up on something, especially when it came to either sex or being bested by someone else.

"Ya done over thinkin' things over there, Val?" the pilot chimed up with a wide grin on his face. "Don't know 'bout ya, but I could sure go fer something to eat right 'bout now. Come on, maybe them bossy nurses will let me sneak out fer a while so I can get somethin' to eat?"

"I do not believe so, Chief," the gunner replied, smiling slightly at the string of curses that came from the pilot. He huffed before crossing his arms over his chest and flopping down on the bed, looking like a sullen child that was just told that there would be no dessert. Chaos stirred as Vincent watched the sulking blonde. "Perhaps I can get you something to eat and sneak it in?"

A wide grin spread across the blonde's face as he sat upright, "Yer an angel, Val!"

"...Demon," the brunette countered as Chaos stirred even more. Keeping the beast under control, Vincent looked around the room for a sheet of paper that he could write what Cid wanted on.

"Doubt that, Val," the pilot retorted while the ex-Turk quickly found that there was nothing that he could write on, let alone anything that he could write with. "Jus' 'cause ya got demons sharin' yer space doesn't make ya one of 'em. 'Sides, they ain't that good of demons, anyway."

The brunette froze as he felt all of the demons freeze in his body, interested in what the blonde had to say. The four beasts listened intently as Vincent spoke, "And how is that, exactly?"

"Ya know how demons are all doom an' fuckin' gloom? They're supposed to be runnin' 'round and tearin' shit up, scarin' the fuck out of people and murderin' them in cold blood! And what do yer demons do?" Vincent blinked slowly; did Cid not understand that what he surmised was exactly what his demons did? "Yer little crazies, instead, helped Cloud an' all them wing nuts save the goddamn planet. Batty offered himself up to return to the planet with Omega but probably got his ass kicked out of the Lifestream fer bein' a shithead. Yer giant fur ball just wants to fuckin' play fetch an' get his stomach rubbed every time I see him. The crazed lumberjack fuckin' haunted my closet and wanted to watch horror movies. Yer Frankenstein wannabe hid under goddamn beds and grumbled more than he fuckin' spoke. They also pulled my ass out of the way of danger more times than I can count. Don't sound like Big an' scary an' powerful demons, now do they? They sound like a bunch of pusses. In a good way."

The blonde did have a point; each one of his demons had their own abilities and a unique style that was their one. Their styles also was in tune with their attitudes and personal preferences. Though, they all had a habit of putting themselves on the live when it came to getting the loudmouthed pilot out of the way. Not that Vincent had much room to talk; even without Cover materia on his person, he would either jump in front of the wounded pilot or pull him out of the way if he had enough time to do so. The gunner was injured more often than not by trying to protect the smaller man than by being attacked directly.

Not that he did not show his other companions the same protection that he showed Cid; all of them were equal in his eyes...in their own ways. Granted, the blonde pilot was the first to prove that he was not afraid of some, what did he call him? Oh yes; a large vampire decoration that one would put in a foggy yard on Halloween to scare children senseless. He might have subconsciously wanted to protect the pilot more than the others because he had taken an honest interest in him other than one of fear and intrigue. The pilot often spent time talking to him even if he did not respond; telling him about the mechanics of his machines and what to do to fix them if he was not around to do so. As much as he refused to admit it, some of what the pilot said had stuck to him and he often found himself holding onto the pilot's words as he spoke, making mental notes of what to do when the engine of a plane fails other than jumping ship.

Although he guessed that the blonde was telling him this more of in the case that he would die sooner than something would happen while he was away; no one touched Cidney Highwind's aircrafts without his permission lest they learn how to fly after being tossed out of the aircraft. Vincent could not help but feel saddened at the thought. It was a given that he would outlive everyone else in Avalanche. Yet, the thought of the cheerful and cursing pilot dying did not sit well with him. He supposed that it was a natural thought as the man was his first friend in over thirty years of solitude but that did not mean that it was not upsetting.

"So, Val; how 'bout them cheeseburgers?" Cid said as he grinned brightly, unknowing of the brunette's dark thoughts.

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**Inuobsessed004**: Naturally! Wait no more. ...And then a little more.

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**ABNORMAL2110**: Heh, exactly!


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

"...I will be back," the brunette said softly before rising to his feet and reaching out, stopping himself before he could run his fingers through the mussed blonde hair sprung from the pilot's scalp. Shaking his head slightly and blaming the lapse in judgment on Chaos, Vincent left the room and began his search for a place that would be willing to sell cheeseburgers so late at night. Checking the bullets in Cerberus as he stepped into the lobby before heading into the dark town. Red eyes glowed softly in the darkness as he looked around the small town. Although his closest comrade had lived in the town and he had often visited the pilot, he was still unaccustomed to the layout of the rural buildings.

Walking down the empty streets, the gunner could hear his every step echoing loudly through the still air, boots clacking loudly against the stones and crunching against the gravel. Keeping his grip on his triple-barreled gun, Vincent trekked down the barren streets as he listened carefully. Although Chaos would not tell him direct who was the one to attack the pilot gravely enough to land him in the hospital, he was certain that the demons would let him know if the assailant would be close to him. Even with that thought ringing true in his mind, the demon-infused man kept all of his senses focused on his surroundings; it would be foolish to let his guard down on the reassurance that the beasts inside of him would let him know before he would have his heart torn out of his chest. If there was anything that he had learned since his freedom from his coffin and the subsequent downfall of Omega was that even his demons were not infallible. He would have to remain focused if he was going to manage to not only survive, but kill the person that had blinded Cid.

The further he got from the hospital, the more Vincent realized that there was a gradual change in the atmosphere; the town seemed to grow darker, like it was going to swallow him in oppressive darkness and smother him. Something was lurking in the darkness and was setting off his paranoia; that much he could easily tell. Pulling back the safety, the gunner winced slightly at the loud click from his firearm before he continued to step into the haunting shade that had engulfed the entire town in the night. He briefly wondered whether or not every night in the relaxed town had been like this or whether his opinion of Rocket Town had darkened due to the recent attack on the honorary mayor of said town. The gunner reasoned that it had to be all in head seeing how he still believed that the hospital was a safe haven.

Hospitals had doctors and the mere thought of doctors quickly brought his mind back to when he was in Nibelheim Manor as a fresh-faced Turk. Not wanting to sit and dwell on the regrets of his past, even though he really wanted to do just that, the brunette continued on his search. He could not keep Cid Highwind waiting, after all; the man had a habit of throwing a fit if things did not go according to his plans and seeing how the man was now unable to see at all... Well, he was certain that whatever the pilot would do when the truth of the matter fully sunk in would be disastrous.

Vincent paused in his steps as he heard something skittering across the gravel. Spinning on the hells of his feet, the brunette pointed Cerberus towards the noise. Although it did not sound like a child, the gunner was unwilling to fire a shot until he knew for sure. He had taken many lives while he was a Turk, children included, and many more after Cloud had unlocked the basement door and freed him from his nightmares. Killing a child was not high up on his long list of things to repent for; he did not stand on a moral high ground and preach the purity of saving lives; he killed for a living and was either doing favors for his comrades or was out for revenge. The only reason he could not bring himself to pull back the trigger without a care was Cid Highwind. The loudmouth blonde knew every single person in the tiny town and while he had a penchant for swearing, it was a guarantee that he would know every child so if it ever came out that the ex-Turk had shot someone during the night in Rocket Town, be it a child or not, the blonde man would never let him live it down. And seeing disappointment or even hatred in the blonde's eyes when regarding himself was not something that the gunner thought that he could easily bear.

Sighing softly to himself, the brunette man followed after the sound as quietly as he could. It was times like these that he longed to have Yuffie's quick and quite footfalls. But considering that in order to get that, he would have to take everything else that came with it; the loud rambling, squealing, shrieking, clumsiness, clinging, and general pestering; taking lessons from the small girl did not seem worth the hassles that even asking her would bring.

But he had to focus on the target at hand.

Continuing to focus on the skittering sound, the brunette gunner could hear gravel shifting as the creature suddenly took off running. Narrowing his red eyes, the ex-Turk ran after the figure, trying to make out what it was as he followed it. There was no chance in hell that this was a child, or even a human being with how low it was to the ground. Even with his superior vision, Vincent was unable to make out just what the creature was in the murky darkness that he ran through; managing to catch sight of a skinny limb before the creature attempted to round a corner. Not wanting to let it escape and figuring that it was a safe bet that the figure was not something that the Captain would want lurking around his town, the brunette raised Cerberus and fired a shot in the direction of the fleeing figure.

A loud squeal of pain filled the air, making the brunette falter and nearly drop his gun as he covered his ears. It definitely was not human, that was for sure. Snarling, the brunette man narrowed his eyes at the writhing creature on the gravel before lifting his foot and slamming his boot down onto the creature, effectively silencing it as multiple cracks filled the air. Holstering Cerberus, the brunette man dropped into a crouch as he peered down at the fallen creature. Crimson eyes narrowed at how difficult it was for him to focus on the skinny and dead creature lying in the gravel mere feet away from his face. There was no possible way that it got this dark every night in Rocket Town.

Taking his eyes off of the limp figure to look around him, the gunner frowned when he realized that he could barely make out the building that he stood next to. Turning his attention back to the limp figure, the gunner sneered as he pulled out a lighter that he kept in his pocket, setting it ablaze and casting his face with a warm glow. He remembered when the blonde pilot had given him the silver device; he claimed that there was no telling whether or not his own lighter would be full when he really needed a smoke and seeing how they were practically inseparable during their travels together, it only seemed right to give him a lighter in case he needed a light. The pilot never once asked for it back when everyone decided to split ways and Vincent never even thought about giving it back to the blonde man. It had become useful man times during his travels around the planet while he checked in on his comrades and he could not bring himself to part with it now. He would have to thank the blonde for it when he returned to the hospital after figuring out what the hell the creature was.

Looking down at the bleeding figure, crimson eyes widened at the thin and frail body that he had shot and squashed underneath his boot. It was unlike and beast that he had ever seen before; three thin legs pulled away from an oval shaped body, each leg ending in three sharp talons that he assumed were used to grip the ground and assist it in fleeing. Lowering his lighter, he could make out a black, thick fluid that was seeping from what appeared to be a broken spine. Yet, the creature did not seem to have a head attached to its body, just legs. Narrowing his eyes, Vincent thought back to the piercing wail that it let out once it was shot. Like most living creatures that he had seen, this one had to feed somehow and that would most likely require the use of a mouth. On just what it fed was a question that the gunner did not even want to entertain.

Rising to stand up straight, the brunette used the toe of his boot to carefully roll the creature over. His lips curled back in a sneer at the gaping and bloody jaw that met him. Rows of teeth gaped in misalignment; presumably snapped out of place when Vincent slammed his boot down on it. Almost the entire underside of the creature was its mouth; very little space was around its maw and he could see a fleshy mass inside that could have resembled a tongue at one time. Looking around, the brunette wondered whether he should leave the small creature where it lied or it he should pull the carcass somewhere else so no one would stumble across it. It was no larger than two feet across with all of its legs outstretched, but Vincent felt wary about lifting the creature from the ground. He was by no means squeamish, but there was something mildly disturbing about grabbing the odd creature with his hands.

There was no chance in hell that he was going to stick his fingers into the creature's misshapen jaw and he did not feel comfortable about picking it up by its knobby, thin legs. Something about carrying it that way reminded him of how a small child would swing a lunchbox by its handle while running to school. Sighing, Vincent looked down at the eyeless creature, trying to figure out what to do with it. It was not even like he could bring it to Cid and let the pilot look at it to see if it was something that often ran around during the night. Resigning himself to having to touch the creature, Vincent held his lighter to the side so he could see what he was doing, metallic fingers reaching towards the slain beast right before another piercing shriek filled the air.

Jumping to his feet, the brunette quickly pulled out Cerberus and pulled back the safety once more, holding the lighter up as he tried to see through the blinding darkness that gripped at the small town. He could feel Galian bristling in his mind as another shriek echoed through the town, making Vincent wince at the high pitch right before his lighter blew out. Crimson eyes narrowed as he tried to relight the object with his left hand, hissing when nothing happened. Quickly switching the items in his hands, the brunette continued to try to create a spark to ignite the lighter fluid just to create a soft clicking sound as he remained in the darkness.

Skittering sounds met his ears and Vincent knew that he was not alone.

Review for more.

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**Purple Pallbearer**: Perhaps; I don't really have much of a plan for this one, yet.

**Inuobsessed004**: Bath time might be difficult, though...

**ABNORMAL2110**: Heh; they're an odd pack.

**mizperceived**: Don't they? I love 'em with extra bacon and cheese.

**omgitskirby**: Aww, thanks! Here's more for you.

**(no name)**: (Chapter Seven)Thanks; he's quirky.

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**Kiryn**: Aww, thanks! Here's more for you.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

* * *

><p>A soft growl left the gunner's throat as he looked down at the lighter in his hand. Tossing the small device to the side, the ex-Turk peered through the darkness as best as he could while staying still. If he was back in Midgar, Vincent knew that he would have been able to wrap his claws around a ladder to a fire escape on the side of any building and pull himself up to the roof, where he would be able to safely pick off the creatures one by one even in the darkness and smog that encompassed the city. However, Rocket Town was not known for being dangerous; there was no need for fire escapes or reinforced building structures to keep the citizens of the rural town safe. They had Captain Cidney Highwind for that.<p>

Thinking back to what he had seen of the creature in the dim lighting, Vincent surmised that the creature had to be either deaf or hard of hearing; it did not appear to have any means of hearing him when he was firing at it. Given its odd structure, the gunner guessed that the disfigured creature was able to locate living things due to subtle vibrations that rumbled through the ground, its clawed talons, and it's knobby legs. Going with that idea, if he made no movements there was a good chance that the shrieking creatures would run right past him while being none the wiser. With any luck, none of them would accidentally run into him and end up alerting the others to his location. Though it did pose the question of how it would be able to alert any other creatures in the immediate area. The gunner knew that they could screech but with no means of hearing the sound and the limited change that they could make a sound powerful enough for the vibrations in the air waves to reverberate through the other beasts bodies or the ground.

Calming his breathing as the skittering sounds grew closer, the gunner narrowed his eyes as he attempted to peer through the darkness in the hope of seeing them near his motionless form. There was something about the all-encompassing darkness that was not settling well with the brunette. Even in the pitch black of his coffin, Vincent was able to focus and see the individual threads in the aging upholstery and the aged grain in the wood. When they had traveled around the planet there were nights when Avalanche decided not to risk lighting a fire and the brunette gunner could still see everything around him. In addition to that, every other night that he had spent in Rocket Town was not nearly as dark as this night was. Not to mention that there was a lack of stars and the moon that usually shone bright at night and there were no clouds that marred the skies during the day. That was one of the things that appealed to his tastes; the rural town always had a beautiful sky at night while the industrialized and modernized city of Midgar always seemed to glow unnaturally. Looking up in the direction of the sky, he could not make out even the faintest glimmer of light in the pitch black sky. The realization of that fact made the ex-Turk wonder exactly what was going on in the rural town to cause such a dark night.

He knew that one person was behind all of the murders during the night; it was a safe assumption that there were not two people in the small town that had developed the same method of manslaughter by hand and were conduction the brutal killings independently. It was also very slim that more than one person was behind this; the method behind the killings would be hard to replicate between more than one person and Cid had not mentioned anything out of the ordinary at the newest death; then again the pilot did have moments when he was not as attentive as he could be. And that did not necessarily mean that person was also behind the darkness and creation of these creatures, though.

Vincent stood perfectly still as he heard the skittering near him grow louder before the creatures scrambled past him, his ears picking up the sounds of rustling gravel as they scrambled across the street. He could feel their claws digging at the gravelly ground as they scrambled away, not a single muscle in his body twitching as he tried to look down at them, his mind wandering to think about how it was possible that the creatures could possibly move around. The placement of their legs reminded the gunner of a three-legged stool; all equal distances away from each other and the center of the creature's mouth. Unable to see them as they ran past his feet, the brunette wondered if all of the creatures had only three legs or if there was a chance that the others had more or less legs to run with. Narrowing his eyes, the gunner tried to see down at his feet, hoping to catch a glimpse at another one of the creatures and hopefully quell his curiosity about the anatomy of the creatures. There was no possible way that they could amble about with an fluidity; the gangly limbs were awkwardly placed on the creature's body due to having an odd number, making running a seemingly difficult task if all three limbs worked independently.

He was unable to help but feel dissatisfied when he saw nothing but the darkness, though. Staying silent as the skittering sounds past him, the gunner waited until all was completely quiet around him before even daring to take a step lest he manage to catch the attention of the mysterious creatures and draw them to his location.

Walking as silently as he could, the gravel crunching loudly underneath the heels of his boots, the gunner sniffed at the air in the hopes of catching the lingering scent of cooking meat. He knew that if he could catch a scent trail of cooked meat then he could follow the scent and hopefully find a restaurant that was still open. As he walked around the town, the ex-Turk paused when he came across the thick and acrid scent of burnt wood. Pausing, the brunette surmised that he was close to the remnants of Cid's house and could use that to figure out where he was. Using his guessed location, the gunner turned and walked in what he believed to be the direction of the hospital. With any luck, the cafeteria would be open and still have some greasy cheeseburgers for sale.

He saved that for a last resort, though, knowing that the pilot would much rather prefer some greasy concoction from a local bar rather than what was served and barely passed as food in the only hospital in the rural town. Unfortunately, it would have to do seeing how the brunette could not see right in front of his face. He briefly wondered if that was how Cid felt and how he was going to get through being blinded if he felt the same way that he did. The only thing that was helping Vincent was the knowledge that once he got back inside the hospital he would be able to see again and wait until the sun rose to find the carcass of the creature once more. He did not know how the blonde, besides his initial reaction, was able to take the thought of possibly never seeing again.

"Hello, Vincent Valentine," a thick accent cut through the silence with a soft chuckle, making the hair on nape of the gunner's head stand on edge. Staying silent, the gunner looked around as he tried to pinpoint the crimson-haired woman that he could hear walking towards him, her boots clacking and crunching against the graveled road. He knew that she was the only other Tsviet to survive besides Shelke but he had foolishly hoped that she would rather go into hiding and live out the rest of her days figuring out everything that she had missed out on but could finally enjoy. "Nothing to say to me, dah'ling?" Grunting softly, the ex-Turk continued to listen to her, freezing when he felt her fingertips brushing against his shoulder blade before he pulled out Cerberus and fired a shot in her direction, grunting when he felt the air knocked out of him and pain radiating through his stomach. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You should be happy to see z'is, Vincent. Eet eez all for you, after all."

Snarling softly, the gunner could feel Chaos shifting underneath his skin as he grit his teeth together. Narrowing his eyes, Vincent glared in the woman's supposed direction as he growled, "Why are you here, Rosso?"

"Eet's simple," the Tsviet practically purred as she walked, the direction of the sounds indication that she was walking around the ex-Turk. "I am indebted to you for freeing me, Vincent. I have decided to repay my debt by giving you the one z'ing that you want more than anyz'ing else in the world. To do so, I have recruited a group to...ah, assist me."

"...You burned down Cid's house," Vincent accused darkly, making the woman chuckle.

"Personally, no," Rosso replied as she stood directly in front of the gunner. "I did give z'e order to burn eet to the ground, z'ough." A sultry chuckle filled the air as her fingertips caressed the side of his cheek, "He was supposed to be inside of that shack, z'ough. Thirteen hearts have been collected for the ceremony... But we still need one more, Vincent."

Once pair of crimson eyes widened with the other pair narrowed, both staring at the other pair in the darkness, "You attacked Cid," Vincent growled before swinging out at the woman, his golden claws tearing through the darkness but not hitting any flesh, making the Tsviet laugh. "Why are you trying to kill him?"

"The purest of hearts will free your soul and melt z'rough z'e mako," Rosso continued in a jovial tone.

Vincent paused at her words and frowned, "Mako? ...What mako?"

"Why, z'e mako that has crystallized around Lucrecia, of course. You do vant to free her, yes?"

"...You are trying to free Lucrecia?"

"All for you, Vincent."

Review for more. I completely forgot the plot to this so...I created a new one...as well as fucking up Rosso's accent. (How the hell do you type a Russian accent? Any ideas?)

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**Chibi-Tenshi-Bunny**: Yeah; it's deeper than what I usually write. Heh. Indeed.

**Purple Pallbearer**: Aww, thanks!

**BasilMacVae**: Heh, wait no more.

**omgitskirby**: Thanks!

**Inuobsessed004**: Heh, or Silent Hill...

**ABNORMAL2110**: Aww, thanks!

**JeanzzStyx**: Here's more for you.

**Hengenjizai**: Of course; here it is.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

* * *

><p>All for him...<p>

It was a sick plot by Rosso; a plot that played at his very soul. It was common knowledge through ShinRa that he had "died in action" while trying to save Lucrecia from both herself and her husband. But to actually be within reach of freeing a woman who betrayed herself, betrayed her son, and betrayed him? Vincent was not sure exactly how to feel about being in that situation. He was grateful that there was an actual way to free the brunette scientist from the prison of her own making. But the more he thought about it, about his own, selfish wants, he wondered whether or not that would be a good plan to follow through with.

When Cloud had awakened him from his nightmares, everything had changed so much; the world was different even though the problems remained the same. Lucrecia was in a similar position. She was stuck in her place, secluded from the world and everything that she had found out after her suicide attempt was everything that Vincent had told her. And that was not much. He was prone to lie to her about how the world was changing. All of the flowers that she had once loved in Nibelheim, the meadows, the beautiful trees...all of it was dead. The world had changed in favor of technology and compared with the memories that he still held close to his heart, it was a damn shame.

He was able to work past that, though. He had companions like Cid who refused to let him wallow in his self-loathing and pity. He also had a mission that he had to complete: kill Hojo and defeat Sephiroth for the protection of the citizens that toiled away in a grave of their own making. That kept him going and introduced him to the world around him. He had adapted after butting heads with the blonde Captain for quite some time. He did not approve of the changes that the world had gone through, but there was little that he could do to change it. It had already happened so he had to move on and learn from the mistakes that people had made around him as well as his own mistakes.

Lucrecia was not a fighter, though.

She had no mission for revenge that she had to atone for. He was not even sure if she dreamt while surrounded in her crystallized coffin. And if she did, he wondered if her dreams were ever filled with the terrors that filled his own. They both had a connected past and while he never openly apologized about his past, he searched for atonement for his failures. Lucrecia always apologized over things that were both in her control and things that were not. They were completely different and he did not know how she would be able to move on with her life.

There was a larger problem though. He was as immortal as she was; neither of them had aged over the decades while the world turned and twisted around them. To free her, he would have to choose to end the life of one of his closest friends. He could even consider the burly blonde as his best friend since he woke from his nightmares. Cid was...quite possibly one of the best things that had happened to him since he learned of Lucrecia's fate and the whereabouts of her son and husband. The blonde was always by his side with a rough smile and some crass words that would help distract him from the harrowing journey that they were on to save the planet.

Could he really trade one for another?

Cid would die one day, that was true. He had seen his friend age over the years while he had not. Lucrecia still looked the same as the day that he was killed and brought back to life just to be sealed in a coffin in a basement with other corpses.

Vincent had spent his entire life deciding the fates of those around him. It was his nature as a marksman in the Turks. He chose who lived during missions and who had to join the Lifestream from a gunshot wound. But this? This was far different. He was being asked to choose to let a mortal; a mortal who had practically very vice that he had ever heard of; a mortal that was lying blind in a hospital, hoping for a greasy cheeseburger; a mortal who pushed his every button and made him constantly rethink his position on many topics... A mortal who had befriended him when others were quick to judge him and turn away from him without even getting to know him. A mortal to whom he had owed his life. A mortal who was destined to die... And he was being asked to not only end his life sooner than the fates had decided, but to let Rosso take his heart to free Lucrecia.

While there was no way that the woman could physically use the blonde's heart to free Lucrecia, he recalled the symbols that were drawn across the pilot's house. He recalled the state of the victims that she had chosen and removed thirteen hearts from already. While he did not put much stock in superstition, he would have to be a fool to say that there was not dark magic at play.

Rosso needed a pure heart and she was certain that she could find it in Cid's chest.

A pure heart in a crass man who loved life and the simple act of flying through the air. A pure heart that had its own expiration date that no one but itself knew.

...A pure heart that could free a tarnished soul from her own captivity.

Was Lucrecia really that deserving of freedom?

He had dreamt about what could happen on the possibility that she would one day be freed. Hoped that it would happen in his friends' lifetimes. He was a Turk and while that had one day been a position of power and great honor, it was now nothing more than a sullied title that people feared and hated. Could he really fall that far from his former grace? Could he betray his friend in a worse way than he was betrayed? Did he actually have the heart to kill a blind man that hoped to see again so he could rebuild his burnt home and fly through the skies once more? Could he cut those wings all for the sake of a woman that was in a similar fate as his own?

Vincent knew that he was surrounded by people who loved him and wanted to spend more time with him. He had friends...but he was still alone. None of them knew what he was going through and what his daily hell was like. Lucrecia knew and she would know even more if he allowed Rosso to go on with her dark plan to free the scientist.

That would play more to his selfish wants.

Could he really damn Lucrecia to a fate that was almost worse than death itself?

She would hate him at first. He knew that he hated Hojo for what was done to him and for not just letting him die. A small part of him hated Lucrecia as well, but deep down...he knew that she did what she did from guilt and a small portion hoped that it was out of love, too.

She would have to learn about all of the horrors that humankind had perpetrated after her own fall from grace. She would hear about what her child had grown up to become and the countless lives that he tossed aside for his own goals. She would find out that he had forsaken her as his mother in place for Jenova. It would break her heart but it could make her stronger. She could change her ways and use her gifts for the greater good. She could work in her field once more and help people. She could get over Hojo and start a life with him. Finally.

They could be happy together, living in their personal hells and helping each other get over their sins and downfalls.

But Cid would have to pay the price.

His best friend would have to die to make him happy. A happiness that Vincent could not fully count on, a happiness that would bring grief and shame to him, a happiness that would threaten to destroy everything that he had come to love over the years.

It would destroy him.

"I won't do it," Vincent replied as his bright red eyes met hers, knowing by the way that her lips pursed that she was not pleased.

"Vincent-"

"I'm not going to kill Cid Highwind to free Lucrecia," he continued, cutting her off as his voice hardened even more. "It wouldn't be fair."

"Fair?" the Russian laughed derisively. "Life is not fair! If life were fair, none of z'is would 'ave 'appened to us, Vincent!" Her bright red lips curled into a smile and Vincent could feel the air around him change, darkening and threatening to swallow him whole once more. "You do not 'ave to kill 'im, Vincent." He could feel the slim fingertips glide down his arm as she purred and stepped closer. "You can always just...bring him here. We will finish the rest for you and your beloved will be free. I will be out of your debt."

Her words rang in his ears, making Vincent wonder exactly how she had come into his debt; he did not free her from the Tsviets' hold. He tried to kill her and she had jumped off of the building. She owed him nothing. "...We?" the gunner countered as his eyes narrowed. The atmosphere seemed to darken even more, dampening the already dark mood that he was in. No reply was given and the touch was gone, leaving the ex-Turk to glare through the darkness in an attempt to locate the vicious redhead that was trying to kill the blonde Captain. "Rosso?" he called out softly, not hearing any movements in the still air that surrounded him.

A loud snarl tore through him as he surged through the darkness, knowing that he had to make it back to the hospital before the former Tsviet could locate Cid and take his heart. His boots clacked loudly against the dirt and gravel roads that made up Rocket Town, tearing through the silence that engulfed the fearful town and its citizens. He hoped to any God that would listen that he would make it in time. He did not hear Rosso leave but that meant nothing; the woman was very swift and able to catch him by surprise before. There was no telling what damage she would do to the blind man that was lying in a hospital bed wondering what was taking his friend so long to get some artery-clogging food.

Well, there was one thing that he knew she was going to do and he did not like it one bit. After all, he could always look into freeing Lucrecia by himself once all of his companions were long dead. It would break his heart to see his friends die one by one, but he would not waste any more time pining after a woman that was not going anywhere and had no chance of dying while the mortals around him were surely going to fall in their valiant fight against time. And, if he were truly honest with himself, he never really tried to force her out of the crystallized mako himself. There was all the time in the world for him and Lucrecia to spend their days together. His time with his friends, however, was numbered and he would not trade that away so lightly.

After all, Vincent was a very selfish man.

Review for more.

Thanks for reviewing:

**Inuobsessed004**: Heh, well, I've been told I have one hell of an accent - I vehemently deny that, though.

**Purple Pallbearer**: Aww, but you need your brain!

**ABNORMAL2110**: Nope. This one's decidedly darker. Her accent, while awesome, is a hell of a thing to write. I keep almost slipping to French.

**SentrySapper777**: Aww, can't the crazy Russian get any love? Maybe she wants to build bridges? ...Ha!

**happie-day**: They are a stroke of too much/not enough sleep. It did. I do? This is one of the random ideas on my ever-growing list.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Jar of Hearts

Genre: Romance, Drama, Horror/Gore, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Although the demons had the protomateria to keep them contained, they needed something else to keep themselves satiated. Vincent was willing to keep this a secret but certain events were making it more difficult than he had anticipated. Especially when a certain blonde pilot was trying to enlist his help but only ended up making things all the more complicated...

Warnings: Swearing, smut (gratuitous smut at that!), gore, blood, smoking, drugs, lewdness, emo-ness, OOC-ness, adult themes...

Disclaimer: Don't think I've ever seen a plot like this, so I guess I own it... But I highly doubt that as well...

* * *

><p>The brunette gunner tore through the streets as fast as he could manage, working through what he believed to be his current location in his head and trying his best not to run face-first into any poles near the sidewalk, be they attached to a non-working lamp or a simple sign mattered not; they both hurt his face and his ego equally. Eventually, Vincent found himself stopping the middle of a current graveled road and staring at a looming building which should have been the hospital that he had earlier left. He could barely make out the massive shape of the tall building, hoping that he was right in his assumption of what the building was supposed to be. Rocket Town was more known for the small building that and shops that everyone lived in and, from what he could last recall, the hospital was the only building that was taller than Cid's formerly standing house. It was still far shorter than the looming rocket that the town was famed for, though.<p>

The bright lights that he remembered seeing when he left were gone and the vibrant white faded in the shadows that seemed to swallow the small town whole. Frowning behind his cowl, the ex-Turk carefully pulled Cerberus out of his holster and stepped closer towards the building, his vibrantly saturated eyes taking in the broken glass panels on the doors as he pulled one open and stepped inside, tightening his grip on his gun at the darkness that filled the inside of the building as well. He was certain that when he had left the building was the only bright part in Rocket Town that did not fall to the unrelenting darkness that had swooped down and blanketed the entire town. Now it seemed as though that was no longer true and the hospital had become warped and disfigured in his leave, a discarded shell standing in its former location. In the dark recessed of his mind where his twisted pessimism thrived, he easily could jump to a conclusion at to what had created the change in the atmosphere but the gunner wanted to see the proof before he admitted it even to himself.

Stepping into the lobby as carefully as he could manage, Vincent narrowed his eyes as his boots crackled loudly against the tiles. Crouching down, the brunette narrowed his eyes and peered at the floor, taking in the sight of broken glass under the heel of his plated boot. He slowly exhaled as he rose to his feet, looking around carefully in case something was lurking in the darkness that had seeped into every aspect of the hospital and usually bright town. Carefully pulling Cerberus out of his thigh holster, the ex-Turk made his way through the room, keeping on the lookout for any sudden walls or open door, not wanting to get caught off-guard while trying to find Cid. He could only hope that Shera had left the hospital for the night and that the surly and blinded blonde was still safely tucked in his room.

The gunner walked down the hallways, ears pricked and listening for anything over the sound of his footsteps on the tiled floors. A sudden shriek pierced the air and the brunette barely had time to lift Cerberus before a solid weight crashed into him, knocking the surprised former-Turk off of his feet and to the ground. He could feel blunt fingernails clawing frantically at his chest, pulling at the leather as a distraught sound came from the creature. Determined not to end up on the bottom of the fight and spurred by a brief moment of panic, Vincent squeezed the trigger, a gurgled wail coming from the figure on top of him as a warmth spread over his midsection. Fluids splattered over the leather of his abdomen as the figure grew lax, the sound of its haggard breathing dying off and leaving the brunette to wonder exactly what it was that had attacked him. Blood sloshed to the floor as he moved slightly under the still warm figure. The gunner slipped Cerberus back into its holster before he pushed the body off of him, carefully rising to his feet and dropping to a kneel beside the prone figure. Leaning down beside the creature, he narrowed his eyes and glared down at the prone figure. While it was humanoid in shape, the body looked to be more emaciated than anyone he recalled in Rocket Town ever being. He bowed his body down even more in an attempt to look at the face without any use of lighting material lest he call attention to his position, not wanting to alert anything that was lurking in the darkness as to his whereabouts.

He could make out a shine of something liquid across the creature's face, but in the pitch darkness that had engulfed even the inner sections of the building, the brunette could not tell if the liquid was blood or not. There was definitely deep grooves along the creature's face; Vincent could make out jagged edges of flesh and something that was reflective with a liquid. Something else had to have attacked this creature before it ran straight into the ex-Turk. Something that was armed and felt no remorse about striking a frail-looking figure in its face. While the gunner felt no ill will towards the creature for attacking him, he also felt no remorse about putting it down.

There was a foul odor of decay in the air that call the gunner's mind to it as it was not previously there; the scent of sterilized rooms and rubbing alcohol had been replaced with an old scent. It almost reminded him of the odor that resided in the old ShinRa Manor in Nibelheim; rotting wood, dust, and decaying memories. There was a musk that lingered and the gunner could not tell whether or not it came from the body right next to him or from something else that lingered in the darkness. Vincent calmed his breathing as he made out the sharp angles that made up the creature's face, his line of sight moving down the steep and organic appearance of its body. It was once a human, that he was certain of, but something had befallen the poor soul and twisted it.

Rising back to his feet as fluidly as he could, Vincent made sure that Cerberus's safety was off as he stepped over the limp body, his boots clacking audibly against the hard tiles that made up the floor. The farther that he stepped into the hospital and walked down the hallway the more pronounced that the smell became. He only hoped that he was going in the right direction; he could not tell if the lights were still working and if the darkness was just that dense or if something had managed to cut the power to the hospital as well as the power from the generators. With every step that he took, though, the brunette could not help a sinister feeling that he was being watched. He slipped his finger around Cerberus's trigger just in case, making sure to listen to his surrounding's for another that made a sound in the hospital besides the overly loud footsteps of his that reverberated in his ears.

Lost in his thoughts and the pitch black that swallowed the town, Vincent misjudged the distance until the next opening and managed to walk into one of the walls. A humid and distinctly flesh-like substance hit his face, causing the ex-Turk to recoil vehemently and lash out with his left hand. Golden claws tore into the decaying material of the wall, raining dust and plaster to the ground in both large chunks and dust while the air around him shifted. Vincent tensed at the sudden dynamic change, the air around him becoming all the more suffocating as the building seemed to let out a sigh around him, the walls and floors trembling with a soft vibration. Wiping at his face after he turned on the safety and holstered his gun, the brunette sneered behind his cowl, grimacing as he could still feel the living and dead wall on his face in a phantom memory that was determined to haunt him.

He glared at the organic qualities of the wall, moving his face slightly closer as his narrowed eyes peered at the deep grooves that marred the now-mottled material. He had the distinct feeling that the building was breathing without having the capabilities to manage such an action. He could not shake the feeling that something was watching him in the dark confines of the hospital or if it were simply the building itself. He assumed that if the lights were not working in the building that the security cameras that were almost certainly placed throughout the building would be offline as well. Vincent wrinkled his nose in clear disgust as he looked onto the divots that his claws had created, his eyes widening when it looked like the rough and torn edges seemed to move slightly, a thin material shifting and looking to reconnect with the torn material above it.

Thinking that it was all in his head, the gunner held his breath, making sure not to breathe or move even slightly as he kept his eyes focused on the material. Sure enough, it began to move again and the gunner was proud of himself for restraining his urge to take a step back in surprise. Calmly sucking in a lungful of air, the brunette let it out in a collected and serene exhale before stepping away from the wall. He would have to have a word with Cid about what he had seen through the quaint town once he was able to locate the engineer. Surely he would be able to come up with some reasonable explanations for the twisted creatures; he had been living in Rocket Town far longer than anyone else as far as the ex-Turk knew.

He stepped away from the wall and noted which direction he had come from before turning to face away from it. Continuing to make his way down the dark and seemingly alive hallways, the brunette eventually turned into an empty room, frowning as he glared through the darkness just to see nothing. Stepping father into the room, Vincent carefully looked around for any sign of Cid or Shera, hoping against all odds that the mousy woman had been talked or yelled out of the room by the Captain and to the safety of her house before whatever had taken out the building had struck. He was not foolish enough to think that the recently blinded blonde had managed to escape, though. The spearman would have been confined to the room for the evening even if his disability was far less severe, both Miss Shera and himself would have made sure of that.

Then again, knowing the blonde as well as he did, he would not put it past the man to send him out after some greasy food and then bitch at Shera until he convinced her that going home for the night would work in her favor. Once the man was alone, Vincent had no doubt in his mind that the stocky man, blind or not, would have fled from the building as soon as he was sure that he would have been able to do so without running into someone that would stop him.

Shaking his head slightly, the gunslinger froze when something crunched audibly under his boot, stepping back before crouching down and his breath catching in his throat at the sight of cracked goggles, a dark smear across the glass that was far too thick and dark to be a fracture. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as the demons he shared his body with stirred at the revelation, vying for control and wanting nothing more than to seek out Rosso and tear her to shreds.

Cid was gone.

* * *

><p>Review for more.<p>

Thanks for reviewing:

**HeidiFox**: She was! Ugh, I spent many hours cursing at her.

**Inuobsessed004**: Heh... Well, Vincent likes him.

**ABNORMAL2110**: Aww, thanks! It's usually like "Shit, I need two-Gs of words and I've only got five hundred. ...I'm just going to type whatever comes to mind!" Voila, chapter!

**HappinessInYourPants**: Well, I'm a very creepy sadist (towards certain characters). It's what I do on a good day. On bad days, they die. You can usually tell my moods by what I post.

**Bathed In Darkness**: Heh, Cid's an amusing character to write.

**sadistic-neko**: Ha, very good point!

**ilovwinning**: Aw, thanks!

**Jennifer**: (Chapter Two) Aww, thank you, my dear!

**Jennifer**: (Chapter Four) Heh, enjoy!

**Jennifer**: (Chapter Five) Indeed.

**Jennifer**: (Chapter Seven) Heh.

**Jennifer**: (Chapter Ten) Well, she's an evil broad.

**Jennifer**: (Chapter Eleven) I'm glad you liked it!


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